A lunch box left in a warm classroom can by midday be a breeding ground for food poisoning bacteria. As a child unpacks its content at lunchtime the lunch box can contain millions of bacteria, enough to make him/her ill with food poisoning. Symptoms include diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach-ache. Bacteria multiply a lot faster in warmer weather and especially on humid days. There are around 120,000 extra cases of illness recorded across the UK during periods of hot weather.   Here follows some easy steps to prevent the risks of food poisoning and reduce harmful bacteria during the summer school term and summer picnics.

• Make sure the lunch is kept refrigerated until it is time to go and pack a small non toxic ice pack. Alternatively freeze yoghurt or a drink and let it defrost inside the lunchbox.
  
  
• Soft insulated lunch bags or boxes are best for keeping lunches chilled. Be extra careful on days that the lunchbox contain perishable food like: meat, tuna, chicken and egg as these foods are potential targets for food poisoning bacteria.
  
  
   
  
  
• Non perishable foods can be stored for a longer period of time without spoiling. Washed whole fruits (apples, bananas and oranges) are safer than cut up fruit or a fruit salad. Also try to avoid yoghurt, cream, coleslaw and mayonnaise when the weather is hot.

• It may also be a good idea not to let your child eat leftovers from the lunchbox at the end of the school day.
  
  

It is also very important that children wash their hands with warm, soapy water before eating as unwashed hands are a major cause of foodborne illness. Try to encourage them to wash their hands carefully for 20 seconds, approximately how long it takes to sing Twinkle Twinkle little star.....