98 percent of preschoolers' lunches kept at unsafe temperatures

School starts in just a few weeks, and parents should be sure they keep their children’s packed lunches safe.
A study by a University of Texas in Austin doctoral student found fewer than 2 percent of the meats, dairy and vegetable products in more than 700 preschoolers’ lunches were cool enough to be safe.

"It was a shock when we discovered that more than 90 percent of the perishable items in these packed lunches were kept at unsafe temperatures," Fawaz Almansour told Reuters.

The study tested 705 lunches packed by parents for children at full-time daycare centers, and found 88.2 percent of lunches were at ambient temperatures.

Multiple ice packs did not keep lunches safe, although 39 percent of the lunches had no ice packs. Only 12 percent were kept in refrigerators, the University of Texas in Austin reported.

Perishable foods kept at 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours were no longer safe to eat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.