Packing Safe Lunches and Take-out and Leftovers

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Lunches
Take-out and leftovers

Lunches

Tips for packing a meal for work or school and keeping it safe to prevent the risk of foodborne illness.

• Fight BAC: BAC to School: Pack a Safe Lunch 101
  Tips for packing a meal for work or school and keeping it safe to prevent the risk of foodborne illness.
• USDA: Keeping "Bag" Lunches Safe
  Whether it's off to school or work, millions of Americans carry "bag" lunches. Food brought from home can be kept safe if it is first handled and cooked properly. Then, perishable food must be kept cold while commuting via bus, bicycle, on foot, in a car, or on the subway. After arriving at school or work, perishable food must be kept cold until lunchtime.

Take-out and leftovers

Perishable foods can cause illness when mishandled. Proper handling of the food and the leftovers is essential to ensure the food is safe for you to eat.

• USDA: Safe Handling of Take-Out Foods
  In today's busy world, take-out and delivered foods are experiencing runaway popularity. Some foods are hot and some are cold when purchased. Foods from fast food restaurants are most often consumed immediately. Take-out foods may be purchased in advance for eating at a later time, such as a party platter or a cooked holiday meal.