Avoid Food Poisoning When Your Child Goes Back to School this Year

 Posted on August 26, 2016 in Food poisoning attorney

As the new school year approaches, parents have a ton of decisions to make. One of these is what your child will eat during school hours. Some parents give their children money to buy lunch and snacks from the school cafeteria, while others pack lunches for their children to bring.

There are pros and cons to each approach. Although a home-packed lunch is often healthier than cafeteria fare, making and packaging lunches can be time-consuming. Parents also often have concerns about the safety of their children's food, whether the food comes from home or from the cafeteria. For example, cafeteria food is prepared on site and served while it is still hot, but there is no way to know how the food was handled or stored before it was prepared. Lunch from home, on the other hand, might sit in a brown bag or lunchbox for hours before lunch, allowing the food to enter the danger zone. There is no perfect school lunch solution, but there are steps a parent can take to lower a child's chance of succumbing to food poisoning at school this year.

Know Which Foods are Safe to Pack and How to Pack Them

If you choose to go the bagged lunch route, pack lunches and snacks for your child that are not susceptible to spoilage. Pack fruits with exterior coverings, like bananas and oranges, and snacks that can be enjoyed a room temperature, such as pretzels. Choose an insulated lunchbox for your child and if you pack anything that can potentially spoil, such as yogurt or meat, put at least two cold packs in the lunchbox to keep the lunch cold until it is time to eat. Consider freezing a juice box or a water bottle to use as an extra cold pack. If you prepare lunch the night before school, keep it in the refrigerator until it is time to leave for school.

Know the Symptoms of Food Poisoning

Children are more susceptible to food poisoning than adults because their immune systems are not fully developed yet. Many types of food poisoning have similar symptoms that include the following:

• Vomiting;
• Diarrhea;
• Abdominal pain;
• Fatigue; and
• Headache.

In many cases, food poisoning resolves itself within a few days. Have your child rest and drink a lot of water during these days to aid with his or her recovery. In some cases, food poisoning can require medical intervention. Consider this if your child's symptoms do not subside within a few days or if they become worse.

Work with a Libertyville Food Poisoning Attorney

If your child suffers from food poisoning because of something he or she ate at school, you could potentially have grounds to file a personal injury claim to seek compensation for his or her damages. To learn more, contact our team of food poisoning attorneys at Newland & Newland, LLP to schedule your initial consultation. We serve clients in the North Chicago, Fox Lake, Zion, Winthrop Harbor, Waukegan areas from our office located in Chicago.

(image courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture)