Here's the top lunch box dilemmas we can help solve for you, starting with “My child's school has banned plastic wrap!”
1. No disposable plastic wrap
Thankfully, there are now many nifty reusable sandwich pouches or food wraps – brands include 4MyEarth, beeswax wraps or stasher bags.
Zip-lock bags do not need to be single use with our durable reusable versions – from Planetbox, Stasher, and Full Circle.
A Bento style box such as Yumbox or Planetbox, or any individual container avoids the need for wrapping small bits of food in cling wrap.
Ecococoon Bento Lunchboxes have been popular recently and offer a great compartmentalised solution.
Omiebox feature bright fun colours and a high quality construction to take whatever your little one can throw at it.
Bentgo have some seriously cool features. Check them out!
2. Low cost
Ways to save money with waste free lunches:
No need to buy plastic wrap again.
Avoid snacks packed in single serve packaging such as popcorn, biscuits, fruit and yoghurt, as they cost more than buying one large amount. Divide food into small reusable containers yourself and keep a bunch on hand that are just as quick to grab.
Make your own beeswax wraps – find our recipe here.
Wasted food costs money, so involve your child in packing lunch so they are more likely to eat what they have chosen.
3. No fridge to keep cool
All of Biome's choices are free from harmful PVC and lead, which many other vinyl insulated bags contain. Our top picks are:
- PACKit freezable insulated bag with a built in gel liner so there is no ice brick to keep track of.
- Fridge to Go with special ice block and fabric technology that keeps cool all day long.
- Other insulated lunch bags with a sweat free ice block – SoYoung and Planetbox.
- B.Box Lunchbox- includes a gel cooler pack to help keep food cooler and fresher for longer
Many people want a lunch bag that does not go smelly or mouldy after a few uses. Often this is due to the condensation inside the bag - ask your child to keep the lunch box sealed/closed up to keep it as cool as possible until they get home, then at home open it up right away, wipe it out with vinegar and water and leave open to dry in the sun or fresh air.
See our range of ice packs without toxic blue goo inside.
4. Sports water bottle that does not leak
Water bottles with a screw top such as Klean Kanteen do not leak if screwed fully closed, but some kids prefer more of a sipper or sports top. The Klean Kanteen with the sports top do have a small air release valve that will leak if laid on its side.
Cheeki Adventure Bottles come in 600mL and 1L sizes, shown below:
For young children the EcoCocoon insulated stainless steel, Eco Vessel plastic bottles or Themos Funtainer insulated sipper bottles.
Another great large leak-proof water bottle is the EcoVessel Boulder. This is a premium insulated bottle with a tight seal around the lid.
See all our water bottles here
5. Needs to fit a sandwich
Using a sandwich wrap or reusable ziplock is a good option as it keeps the sandwich safe in whichever lunchbox you choose.
If you are looking for a bento-style divided lunchbox with a compartment big enough for a sandwich, some good options are Ecococoon 5 compartment bentos, Planetbox Rover or Bentgo Kids Leakproof. Note that sandwiches may need to be cut or on the smaller side to fit properly in these compartments.
Some other containers that will likely suit your needs:
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Green Essentials Sandwich Box
- Planetbox Trailblazer Sandwich Box
- Bentgo Microwavable Stainless Steel Containers
- Planetbox Launch
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Yumbox Tapas or Panino
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U Konserve rectangular or large square containers
- B.Box Lunch box (not snack boxes) will fit a small or cut sandwich
- OmieBox will fit a small or cut sandwich
6. Needs to fit a whole piece of fruit
An average size Pink Lady apple or a peach or mandarin is about 7cm high. Most choices will fit a cut up apple or orange, but for a whole small apple or orange, the U Konserve To-Go Square Container 1.5L is 7.5cm high. It has no internal dividers so you will also need reusable wraps or more small containers inside.
A B.Box Lunch box is 6.5cm high and includes a flexible whole fruit holder compartment.
An alternative is to use a soft lunch bag, such as PACKiT or SoYoung. While these will not provide the same amount of protection to their contents, they are typically larger in volume and provide you with more flexibility in how you pack your lunch.
If none of these options float your boat, you might have to pack cut up fruit.
See all our lunch boxes here
7. A lunch box that does not leak
- Bentgo's Lunchboxes are all good at stopping spills or leaks.
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U Konserve range is good at preventing leaks.
- EcoCocoon range offers a variety of leak proof options.
- Green Essentials offers the Leak Resistant Lunch Box, Sustain-A-Bento Trio, Leakproof Bento Box 5 Compartment
- Yumbox – is not leak proof for watery foods such as watermelon, but it is suitable for foods with the consistency of tomato sauce, hummus, yoghurt, and veggie dips.
- All our insulated food jars are leak proof and are perfect for keeping food like pasta warm, or yoghurt and fresh fruit cool until lunch time.
8. Leak proof with no plastic at all
With all stainless steel containers there is still a need for a small silicone seal to provide the leak proof function. Food does not however touch this seal.
- Bentgo Microwavable Stainless Steel Containers
- Biome Good to Go Stainless Steel Containers are all leakproof.
- Onyx stainless steel containers - particularly the little Onyx dipper pictured here is very handy.
- Kilner Glass Food on the Go Jar 1 Litre or 500ml or Glass container with glass lid.
- Not completely leak proof, but pretty tight – Green Essentials Triple Layer Bento Box 1500ml
- Planetbox – designed to keep foods from touching (some crumbs may transfer), however it is not leak proof. The dippers have a silicone lid and are leak proof. They come with the Planetbox complete kit, or sold separately.
9. Lunch boxes that can be put in the dishwasher
- Planetbox – remember to take the magnets off the Planetbox first!
- Our stainless steel lunch boxes are all safe to put in the top rack of the dishwasher.
- Bentgo Microwavable Stainless Steel Containers - recommended hand-wash only for lid.
- Klean Kanteen Food Boxes - recommended hand-wash only for lid
- B.Box lunchboxes are top-rack dishwasher safe, but hand washing is recommended to ensure the longevity of the product.
- Not a lunch box BUT we are excited to announce that all Klean Kanteen water bottles have been certified as dishwasher safe!
10. Are replacement parts available?
Most of our water bottle and lunch box ranges have replacement parts to ensure our products have as long life as possible. Please contact us and we will do our best to get from the supplier if not readily available on our website.
11. Lunch bags that can be put in the washing machine
- SoYoung linen lunch bags
- Fluf Lunch Bags
