The long summer vacation is drawing to a close, which means a new school term is about to begin. While pre-teens and teenagers will most likely be purchasing their daily meals at the pantry/tuck shop, toddlers will require daily snack packs and lunch dishes. Necessary steps must be taken to avoid food-borne illnesses that may affect our little ones.

1 Food safety must begin at home, and parents must lead by example by washing hands on a regular basis. This is one of the first and easiest steps to prevent cross contamination with harmful bacteria. Bacteria can live on food and food contact surfaces for up to 32 hours. That’s how easy it is for containers, bread and lunch meat to be contaminated by dirty hands.

2 Sanitise all containers, lunch bags, coolers and utensils before packing food. Give children small bottles of sanitisers or moist wipes/towelettes to ensure they clean and sanitise hands prior to and after eating.

3 To ensure temperatures are maintained use insulated lunch bags or coolers. There’s also the option of using freezer packs to keep cold foods such as fruits, yogurt, cheese at the correct temperatures. Freeze juices that are purchased in bottles and tetra packs as this can also help to maintain safe cold temperatures in the insulated bags or coolers. Find out from the school if a refrigerator will be available to store cold foods.

4 Avoid packing lunches such as meats and soups unless provisions are in place for reheating. However, if you choose to pack hot lunches, use the insulated container by filling it with boiling water, let stand for a few minutes, empty, and then put in the hot food.

Instruct your child to keep the container closed until lunchtime to maintain safe food temperatures. NB All leftover food and used packages must be disposed of after eating.

5 Do notify the school of allergies and ensure that provisions are made to separate any potential contaminants from your child’s food and also ensure that medication is always available in the event of an incident.