Give Your Child a Lower-Tox Lunch

Give your child a healthier lunch. Simply change their lunchboxes.

Most people are more health aware than before. You can use several ways to help your children eat and stay healthier. Start by providing them with a daily lower-tox lunch, and this includes how you present it as well.

In the past, children left home with much healthier lunches in paper bags. You do not have to do that, but ensure a healthier alternative to the plastic lunchbox.

Ensure that their lunchboxes are safe (that is, food grade), that we wrap their food safely, and that there are fewer (or no) processed foods and snacks in their lunchboxes. Here is what you can do.

Swap the Plastic Lunchbox

For many years, plastic has been the go-to method of storing food. Everyone uses it because of its convenience and ease of use. Most of us use plastic lunchboxes for our children.

The best place to start, therefore, is to provide lower-tox lunchboxes for our kids. We need to do this because there are harmful chemicals in conventional lunchboxes.

These chemicals include phthalates, which soften plastic products. This chemical can disrupt the hormones in the body and has the potential to cause cancer and other ailments ("Phthalates and Children's Products").

Other harmful chemicals in plastics are PFAS, which can cause kidney failure, cancer, developmental issues, and liver failure (Seymour). A third chemical is Bisphenol A (BPA), which can cause behavioral issues in children and affect the brain, prostate, testicles, and breasts (Zuckerman et al.).

These warnings tell us that plastic lunchboxes are harmful. By providing our children with healthier alternatives, we will help prevent harmful chemicals from entering their bodies.

You can use food-grade stainless steel containers instead. You can also use food-safe or food-grade plastic containers. These containers are Bisphenol A-free (BPA-free) plasticware.

To make the lunch even safer and lower-tox, use an alternative for wrapping it as well.

Swap Plastic Wraps and Seals

One way to replace plastic wrap and seals is to use parchment or baking paper. Cling wrap has the same harmful chemicals mentioned above. It is therefore wise to replace it with alternatives.

Alternatives include beeswax food wraps. These wraps are usually made with cotton material covered with beeswax, jojoba oil, coconut oil, or rosin (Charman).

Finally, we should look at what we can add to the lunchbox to provide them with a lower-tox lunch.

Packing a Lower-Tox Lunch

The best way to pack a lower-tox lunch is to avoid ultra-processed foods and snacks. It is safer to provide them with vegetables and fruits for healthy eating.

Berries and carrots are wonderful snacks, and most children enjoy them. A carefully and attractively packed lunchbox will also encourage healthy eating.

Prepare the lunch with fresh ingredients. This will ensure that you eliminate or drastically reduce any processing. As another wrapping alternative, wrap their sandwiches in lettuce. They can also eat the lettuce.

References:

Charman, Holly. "The Ultimate Guide to Beeswax Food Wraps." Wild and Stone, 3 June 2025, www.wildandstone.com/blogs/eco-tips-and-tricks/the-ultimate-guide-to-beeswax-food-wraps.


"Phthalates and Children's Products." National Center for Health Research, https://www.center4research.org/phthalates-childrens-products/. Accessed 19 August 2025.


Seymour, Meg. "What Are PFAS Chemicals and Why Are They Dangerous?" National Center for Health Research, www.center4research.org/what-is-pfas-health-risks. Accessed 19 August 2025.


Zuckerman, Diana, et al. "Are Bisphenol A (BPA) Plastic Products Safe for Infants and Children?" National Center for Health Research, https://www.center4research.org/bisphenol-bpa-plastic-products-safe-infants-chil... Accessed 19 August 2025.