Bagged Lunches Great for Bacteria Growth

Texas scientists give us yet another reason to continue forking over $10 for turkey and avocado wraps for lunch.

American researchers have found that lunches taken to school are usually stored at temperatures likely to foster bacterial growth in sandwiches, yogurts, and drinks, giving over-protective parents yet another reason to fear for their kids' danger-proofed lives. Food testers in Texas examined the lunches of hundreds of pre-schoolers and found that of 1,361 perishable foods tested, a measly 22 had been kept at temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (five degrees Celsius, give or take), the temperature at which bacteria like E. coli and salmonella begin to reproduce. While the researchers say (and concerned parents hear) that lukewarm lunches increase the chances of bacterial infection, we're inclined to draw upon a dozen or so years of eating room-temperature deli meats with minimal digestive complications to question the threat raised here.