Parents and caregivers will soon begin the routine of preparing and packing school lunches for their children. They play a crucial role in safeguarding their children’s health by ensuring these lunches are safe from foodborne illness and allergens for those with food allergies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service encourages following food safety tips and being allergen aware for a wholesome, worry-free return to the classroom.
“Children are particularly vulnerable to foodborne illness as their immune systems are still developing and they have limited ability to combat infections. This susceptibility is made worse by the increasing prevalence of food allergies that affect one in 13 children, or about two students per classroom,” said Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Emilio Esteban. “It is vital that parents and caregivers practice the four safe food handling steps when preparing and packing school lunches, as well as understanding how to identify food allergens.”
Safe and wholesome school lunches begin with four simple safe food handling practices:
1. **Cleanliness**: Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before, during, and after handling food. Clean countertops with hot, soapy water, then sanitize with a commercial or homemade solution.
2. **Separation**: Keep raw meat, poultry, and foods with allergens separate from ready-to-eat foods like fruits and vegetables by using different cutting boards and utensils.
3. **Cooking**: Cook meats to a safe minimum internal temperature as measured with a food thermometer.
4. **Refrigeration**: Refrigerate foods promptly as bacteria grow most rapidly between 40 F and 140 F.
The nine leading causes of food allergies identified in the U.S.—milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame—are required to be listed on a food label when present.
For managing foods with potential allergens:
- Always read ingredient labels thoroughly.
- Prepare items without allergens first.
- Teach children which foods they should avoid.
- Educate children about handwashing before eating.
- Clearly label lunchboxes or containers with allergen information.
For more information on proper lunch packing or managing allergens visit USDA's websites mentioned in the article.
If you have questions regarding food safety call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854), email MPHotline@usda.gov or chat live at www.ask.usda.gov.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in many positive ways under the Biden-Harris Administration by transforming America’s food system focusing on resilient local production, fairer markets for producers, access to nutritious food in communities, climate-smart practices for farmers using historic investments in infrastructure clean energy capabilities in rural America while committing to equity across its workforce representative of America.
