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School lunch packing safety tips

Posted at 2:33 AM, Aug 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-19 03:33:01-04

The start of a new school year is upon us. That means parents will be back to packing school lunches. Experts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture are offering tips about food safety. 

They recommend having a four step approach when preparing meals for your child: clean, separate, cook and chill. 

Always wash hands and clean all surfaces before starting the process.

Separate raw meat and poultry from ready to eat foods such as carrots or apple slices. 

If you are preparing something like chicken breasts to put in your child's lunch, be sure that they are cooked to a safe internal temperature. 

Most importantly, you want to make sure that your food product is kept at a safe temperature in your child's lunchbox. 

"Make sure that you're sending it to school with two cold sources. That can be a jell pack and a frozen juice box," said Amelia Kermis, a Public Affairs Specialist with the USDA. 

For more information visit Foodsafety.gov