Food safety issues and children's lunchboxes

Aim: Approximately 60% of school children in the UK eat packed lunches on a regular basis. While extensive research investigating the health and quality of food in these lunchboxes has been conducted, there is very little parallel research into food safety issues. This study set out to examine the food safety issues associated with the daily cycle of lunchbox use among primary school children. In particular, the role of the actual lunchbox as a potential vehicle of cross-contamination was investigated.

Methods: Using a self-completion questionnaire, parental attitudes towards food safety and their awareness of key food safety issues were identified with respect to children's lunchboxes. Using a data logger, temperature measurements were taken of a typical lunchbox over a school term to provide information about the temperature profile throughout the daily cycle of use. A lunchtime observation study provided detail about individual lunchboxes, their visual cleanliness, the types of debris left by children and the microbiology of the lunchbox itself.

Results: The study found that while the majority of parents were aware of the potential food safety risks associated with their child's lunchbox, they recognized that poor temperature control during the school day increased the food safety risks but they did not always take appropriate steps to manage this risk.

Conclusions: Despite there being no direct evidence of immediate food safety risks from this study, temperature control was a key food safety issue. The method and frequency of cleaning were also highlighted as areas of particular concern.