Children across Texas and the nation have begun school, and many carry their own bagged lunches to school. You might make a bagged lunch for your child because you think it’s healthier than a school cafeteria lunch, but watch out.
If you aren’t careful your child could get food poisoning from their bagged lunch. Try to follow these food safety tips from the United States Department of Agriculture to help protect your child from food poisoning:
- Keep the lunch cold: If your children are bringing their lunches to school, it’s best to use insulated, soft-sided lunch boxes or bags and pack at least two ice sources with perishable food. Harmful bacteria multiply rapidly in the “Danger Zone”, which is the temperatures between 40 and 140 °F. To protect your child from food poisoning, always make sure if your child’s lunch has perishable food that it’s transported with an ice source or placed in a refrigerator at school.
- Be clean when preparing lunches: To avoid food poisoning, it’s important to make sure all counters and cutting boards have been thoroughly cleaned before and after making your child’s lunch. Also wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before preparing your child’s food, and never allow family pets near food preparation areas.
- Don’t pack too much: Try to only pack the amount of perishable food that your child will eat, so they don’t have to worry about storing the leftovers. After your child finishes eating, remind them to throw away all disposable food wrappings, and not reuse them for other food. If you reuse things like Ziploc bags you could spread contamination, which leads to food poisoning.
Even if you are careful to protect your child from food poisoning, many others aren’t as diligent. If you or a loved one were a victim of Texas food poisoning, you deserve justice and compensation for your emotional and physical trauma. Contact the Texas food poisoning attorneys today and set-up your free, no-obligation consultation.
