7 Tips to pack your office lunch box quickly and safely

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Preparing your own office lunch box is such a helpful habit to maintain a balanced diet!

• You can control of your portion sizes.
• You have more information on your energy and nutrient intake and eat foods you love at the same time!
• It helps you with planning your grocery shopping budget and save money!

It is important to be aware of a few food hygiene rules to protect yourself from the risk of food poisoning. This way, you can enjoy only the benefits of lunch packing!

Here are a few hacks to pack your meals quickly and food safety tips to keep in mind:

1. Check the office kitchen appliances first

If you want to pack your lunch safely for work, the first thing you need to check is if there is a fridge. If you can chill your lunch box within an hour after you leave your home, you can safely pack plenty of healthy cooked meats/ fish, legumes and salads.

Is there a microwave oven too? That’s great, because you can enjoy a hot meal as well. However, there are important food safety tips to remember :

• Make sure there is a “microwave safe” symbol on your food container. Prefer glass containers. 
• If your lunch contains meat, cut it in smaller pieces and spread them in your container. It is important to evenly reheat meats in the microwave!
• Avoid packing rice and grains
• Always check the food packaging for microwave instructions!
• In any case, avoid reheating any foods more than once!

2. Avoid packing rice and grains

It’s safer to eat rice, rice noodles, couscous and bulgur wheat piping hot when you cook them. They may contain spores of Bacillus cereus. If they reach room temperature, the spores germinate active bacteria. In turn, bacteria increase in number and produce toxins which could make you sick with diarrhoea and vomiting .

In case you prepare a lunch with grains for work:

• Make sure it is not outside from the fridge for more than half an hour.
• Reheat only once and thoroughly!!! It is should be piping hot when you consume it.

3. Don’t leave your food out of the fridge for more than two hours

Do you prepare food for your office lunch box the night before or every Sunday evening for the next 4-5 working days?

• In any case, you should put your food in the fridge within two hours after cooking to prevent bacterial growth .  
• Your meal should not be left in room temperature for more than two hours when you are on your way to work either.
• Take your lunch out of the fridge just before you leave for work. Especially during spring and summer, the less time your lunch is out of the fridge the better!

4. Choose safe containers with fitted lids

• Prefer glass containers with fitted lids.
• If you don’t use glass containers, make sure they are BPA- free and microwave safe.
• Check they are dishwasher and microwave safe

Seal your food containers airtight as much as possible. Removing oxygen will slow down chemical reactions that spoil your food soon and prevent the growth of certain bacteria . You don’t need vacuum packaging though. Just gently push the fitted lid to remove the air before your seal. That’s usually enough to maintain your food chilled for the next 3-4 days.

5. Transfer the food straight to your glass container

After cooking, you should chill your food within 2 hours anyway. There is no better way to do that than transferring it straight to the glass containers. That’s why having a set of at least three containers is very useful. You will save plenty of time throughout the week!

You kill three birds with one stone:

• Cool down your food in time in a safe container
• Split the food in portions.
• Your container will be ready in the fridge and you will not have to do anything in the morning. 

6. Avoid packing liquidy sauces and thin stews

Μeals without watery sauces are easier and safer to pack because:

• You can reheat them thoroughly more quickly and easily.
• If you haven’t already transferred your food in the container the night before, you will save valuable time in the morning. It takes more time to transfer food sauces safely in food containers!
• You avoid food spilling: Even if fitted lids look trustworthy, there is always a risk to ruin your food bag. At least put the food container in a sealed food bag, just in case!

7. Prepare your lunch bag the night before!

These tips sound simple, but you will save more than 5 minutes in the morning!

• Put your cutlery in a zip seal bag in your lunch bag the night before.
• Always keep a pack of paper pocket tissues in our bag.
• Put your water bottle in your bag or right next to it. It’s so easy to forget it in the morning!

Extra fitness tip: Pack a little sweet snack in your bag! Sweet cravings are perfectly normal when you are working. A little chocolate truffle or cereal bar in your bag can keep you away from high calorie office treats!

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