Food safety: How to keep food cold

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Follow these steps to keep lunch box food cold and safe to eat:

1. Wash your hands with warm soapy water.
Person washing hands with soap under a sink with running water from the tap		2. Make sure containers , chopping boards and utensils are clean and dry.
Chopping board on kitchen bench with a knife and containers next to it
3. Wash fruits and vegetables under running water.
Strawberries and cucumber in a colander being rinsed with water in the sink 		4. Pack cold food into the lunch box straight from the fridge.
A person is placing a container of yoghurt into the fridge
5. Pack food in an insulated lunch box or bag.
containers and food items being packed into an insulated food bag 		6. Keep lunches in the fridge until leaving for school.
Insulated lunch bag being pulled out of fridge
7.Put an ice pack next to food that needs to stay cold.
packed lunch box with an ice brick next to cold foods 		8. If sending hot food in an insulated food container, pack it away from cold food.
School bag packed with lunch bag separate to insulated food container for hot food
9. After school, throw away any left overs. Some foods such as uncut fruit or vegetables or crackers will be okay to keep.
disposing left over food from lunchbox into bin		10. Wash lunch box or containers in hot soapy water and air dry.
washing containers in sink with soapy water, containers that have been washed are drying next to sink
11. Wipe insulated lunch box or bag. Clean ice packs and put back into the freezer.
ice pack being wiped clean