FOOD THYMES
SPRING 2013
How to Pack a Safe Lunch By Daryl Goldes
When we are busy running around on our college campuses, taking exams, writing papers, and attending club meetings, the food that we eat tends to fall on the back burner. We have all heard about the importance of healthy eating: watching our carbohydrate intake, not all fats are created equal, etc, etc. But did you know that the way that we eat, and the way food is prepared, is just as important? When we are running around from place to place, it is easy to grab the first thing that we see, without consideration to food safety. But certain foods are more susceptible to spoilage. From reading about salmonella in cantaloupe to mass recalls of canned tuna, we have become well aware of the vulnerabilities of certain food items. Pathogens need six specific conditions to grow. If any of these conditions are present, the likelihood that foodborne illness will prevail increases. These conditions can be remembered with the acronym FATTOM: Food, Acidity, Temperature, Time, Oxygen, and Moisture. This acronym can help us remember which foods are the best, and create awareness of the factors that cause foodborne illness. Foods with a strong energy source, like carbohydrates or proteins, are most vulnerable to spoilage. Examples of these foods are meat, dairy, poultry, and eggs. pH is a measurement of how acidic or basic a food is. pH is measured on a scale of 1.0-14.0, with 1.0 being the most acidic and 14.0 being the most basic. Pathogens are most likely to grow in foods that fall in the middle of the pH scale, around 4.6 to 7.5. Bacteria love to grow in the “temperature danger zone”; that is, between the temperatures of 41°F and 135°F. The most vulnerable zone is from 75°F to 125°F. Coincidentally, your food will most likely fall within these temperatures if it is not packed properly. If foods are kept in this danger zone for long periods of time, pathogens will grow; after four hours, they will have grown to a level high enough to cause foodborne illness. Most pathogens require oxygen to grow; some organisms, however, can grow when oxygen is absent. Pathogens that grow without oxygen can grow in cooked rice, untreated garlic-and-oil mixtures, and baked potatoes. Pathogens grow best in foods with high water content. This includes milk and dairy products, fruits and vegetables, eggs, poultry, sprouts, tofu, meat, and fish. Many of these foods also happen to be what you would typically include in your lunch. So how do you pack a safe and healthy lunch to eat on campus? For starters, wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water before packing your lunch. Careful hand washing is the best defense against the spread of harmful pathogens. Prepare perishable foods such as chicken salad sandwiches, pasta salad, chicken, or vegetables, the night before so that they are given ample time to chill thoroughly. It is best to pack your lunch in an insulated soft cooler with plenty of ice packs. If you have access to a refrigerator to store your soft cooler during the day, leave the flap of the cooler open to give your lunch access to the cold air of the refrigerator. Nonperishable food items such as low-sodium almonds, dried fruit, peanut or almond butter, and sunflower seeds, provide you with necessary protein and fat to keep your energy up throughout the day. These items do not require a cold source and will not spoil during the day. Even when we are busy with the many demands that college life has to offer, these simple steps will go a long way to ensure we can affectively perform in our daily lives without being held back by foodborne illness. Reference: ServSafe CourseBook. (5th Ed.). 2010. Chicago, IL: National Restaurant Association
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