In the Box

Packing an Organic Lunch

By Donna Smith

Organic. What was once thought to be a fad is now a lifestyle for many. But one place organic has not found its way into is daycares, preschools and school cafeterias. This, for many parents, means packing their children an organic lunch.

Lisa Hanover, a mother of two from Atlanta, Ga., says her family eats organic at home and cannot see paying for lunches that are not organic and not that healthy either. "I pack my two boys an organic lunch every day," says Hanover. "I feel better knowing the eating habits I'm instilling in them don't go by the wayside just because they're away from me."

Chef Ann Cooper, former executive chef and director of wellness and nutrition at The Ross School in East Hampton, N.Y., and author of Bitter Harvest: A Chef's Perspective on the Hidden Danger in the Foods We Eat and What You Can Do About It (Routledge, 2000), is on a mission to transform cafeterias into "culinary classrooms for students." Cooper, who has developed an integrated school lunch curriculum centered on regional, organic, seasonal and sustainable meals, says there are many benefits to packing an organic lunchbox for your child.

"The benefits of organics are the reduced risk of cancer and other diseases related to the consumption of chemicals from our food and water," says Cooper. "Most testing is not done on children who tend to consume a disproportionate amount of food as a percentage of body weight – we must let the precautionary principle guide us."

Want to see more?

• Lunch Lessons: Top 10 Tips for Healthy School Lunch
• A Natural Start for Baby: Organic for Beginners
• Converting "Conventional" Kids to Organic
• Talk about it!