TIPS TO A SAFE & HEALTHY TIFFIN BOXES
Prof. Atul Deshpande
With the
2020-2021 school year approaching, many parents are preparing for changes to
their routine. Many students may be returning to school for the first time
since the COVID-19 pandemic began and others may be distance learning. Don’t
let food borne illness – commonly called food poisoning – keep your child from
learning. Take the time to plan and prepare your children’s lunch meals safely.
While children
rely on teachers for daily lessons, the task of making safe lunches falls
squarely on caregivers. Unlike cafeteria workers who take food safety training
on a regular basis, most parents preparing lunch for their kids at home, or to
take to school, haven’t received any formal food safety instruction. Nutrition
counts, too. The lunch you’re making not only satisfies hunger pangs of busy
kids, it fuels their cognitive abilities. Studies have shown that proper
nutrition improves students’ scores, memory capacities, motor skills, social
skills, and language skills. Keep them well fed and safe with the four steps to
steps to food safety –
Ø
Clean
Ø
Separate
Ø
Cook and
Ø
Chill
Clean: The best way to prevent many forms of illness, including foodborne
illness, is with proper hand washing. Children should always clean their hands
before eating, and parents should do so before and during lunch preparation.
It’s easy to get preoccupied by busy schedules and rush through the five steps
of washing hands; however, hand washing is vital to remove any germs that may be
present. Hand washing should always include the following:
- Wet your hands with clean,
running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by rubbing
them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands,
between your fingers and under your nails.
- Scrub your hands for at least
20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to
end twice.
- Rinse your hands well under
clean, running water.
- Dry your hands using a clean
towel.
Separate: Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw meat and poultry away
from ready-to-eat foods. When preparing perishable foods that require cutting
(for example, raw bacon and raw chicken you plan to cook for salad), make sure
you separate these items from fruits, vegetables, cheeses and other foods to
avoid cross-contamination.
- Cut up and prepare your raw
ingredients ahead of time to avoid cross-contamination as you handle your
ready-to-eat items for salads or other sides.
- Different colored cutting boards are
a great reminder to prevent cross-contamination (you can use a green
cutting board for fresh produce and another color for meat and poultry).
Cook: Have a food thermometer easily accessible to ensure you’re cooking
to recommended safe internal temperatures:
- Cook whole cuts of meat, including
beef and pork to 145 degrees Fahrenheit and allow them to rest for at
least 3 minutes before carving.
- Cook ground meats, like burgers and
sausages, to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook all chicken and turkey to 165
degrees Fahrenheit.
Chill: When preparing lunch ahead of time, remember perishable foods
should not enter the Danger Zone – temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees
Fahrenheit – where bacteria multiply quickly and can make food unsafe.
- Make sure all perishable items are
refrigerated within two hours of coming out of the oven or refrigerator.
- Discard food that has been left out
for more than two hours to prevent food borne illness.
- If your child needs to carry their
lunch themselves, never pack perishable foods in a brown paper bag because
they will be unsafe by lunchtime. Use an insulated, soft-sided lunch bag
and add a frozen gel pack and a frozen juice box or bottle of water with
the lunch.
These four
steps– Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill – give parents and caregivers steps they
can use to protect their children from food poisoning. Now that we’ve covered
all the basics, you’re ready for the big test – hungry students!
