AUSTIN, Texas—Children under age 5 years are particularly vulnerable to food-borne illness, which is why parents should take notice of a new study of preschoolers' lunches that found more than 90% of the food sent from home was at an unsafe temperature long before children started eating. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, also found lunches packed in an insulated container with ice packs had unsafe temperatures.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin examined home-packed lunches of more than 700 preschoolers at nine child care centers in Texas. Only 45.1% of the lunches had at least one ice pack, 39% had no ice packs. The temperature of the lunches was then measured with a noncontact temperature gun 1.5 hours before the children consumed them because the kids often start snacking on their food prior to lunch. They found more than 90% of the lunches, even those with multiple ice packs, were at unsafe temperatures, making them susceptible to illness-causing bacteria.
More than 88% of the lunches were at room temperature, and 1.6% of perishable items were kept in the safe temperature zone recommended by the USDA. The agency recommends cold food be kept at less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and that no food should be at room temperature for more than two hours.
The researchers noted parents and the public must be focused on methods of packing lunches that allow the food to remain in the safe temperature zone to prevent foodborne illness.
