How many of us would consider school lunches a concern when it comes to food safety? Many of our classes here at UMF touch upon topics related to education since half of all our students are education majors. I figured this blog should do the same!
The statistics:
• The American Dietetic Association conducted research to learn 4/5 of our school children state they do not have the opportunity to refrigerate foods brought from home while at school.
• Do you remember mom and dad packing your lunch for you in the morning before you left for school? Seventy three percent of today’s parents still do. This is dangerous because moving fast through food preparation can lead to sanitation mistakes causing food -borne illnesses.
• Fifty percent of school aged children feel their lunchbox isn’t regularly cleaned.
• Twenty six percent of parents avoid the morning scurry and fix their child’s lunch in the evening in prep for the next day.
• Some children have the right idea- a little over two out of three of our school aged children want to make healthy food choices for lunch.
• Some children who don’t finish their lunch will save some of it for later-one fourth to be exact.
• The good and the bad… A great deal of students (sixty percent) do not take the time to wash up before their mid-day meal. A little more than ninety percent of students make up for that my using hand sanitizer or a hand wipe before indulging.
Remedies:
If the above statistics have you a little concerned about your students safety or wondering how to prevent such happenings read on…
• Don’t allow perishable food items to get warm. Buy your child a lunch bag that is insulated to keep already cold foods cold. If you cannot afford this store frozen juice drinks or icepacks inside their lunch bag along with all of their other food.
• To prevent the morning rush from causing food-borne illnesses simply clean the prep area so that there is no mess left over from the last meal prepared or any bacteria that could end up in the food you are working with.
• Wash your child’s lunchbox daily. If you can’t wash it daily try to wash it frequently!
• To keep perishable food items safe store them in the fridge before use. The fridge needs to be set to forty degrees or below.
• Smart children want to eat healthy. A great deal of health foods require refrigeration. When refrigeration is not available think of different healthy foods that won’t spoil. Examples include a bagel, peanut butter, packaged apple sauce or carrot sticks.
• Don’t forget to rinse fruits and vegetables. Pay special attention to fruits that must be peeled- the skins may have bacterial on them.
• Teach kids to practice safe eating habits by teaching them to wash their hands at home. Provide a ready to use container of sanitizer in their lunchbox.
http://www.homefoodsafety.org/index.jsp
