Are Stainless Steel Lunch Boxes Safe?

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Generally, stainless steel lunch boxes are safe. However, you must do enough research into the subject before buying one for yourself.

We highly recommend avoiding all plastic containers for food and beverage. If you want to enjoy waste free lunches at work or school, you are better off bringing your own food in a stainless steel lunch box. Stainless steel lunch boxes are the safest options you have if you want to start eating healthy food and save money in the long run. If you also want to keep hydrated while on the go, stainless steel water bottles are available as well. But in this article, we’ll focus more on stainless steel lunch boxes.

Many people who made the switch from buying lunch at the cafeteria to bringing their own food to work have chosen to do so in stainless steel lunch boxes. Stainless steel lunch boxes provide many options for you. There are tiered lunch boxes if you want to bring multiple meals at work. Or you can also opt for a stainless steel lunch box with a compartment. Tiered stainless steel lunch boxes are ideal if you also want to bring snacks to work. For example, you can put your favourite sandwich in one container and healthy portions of grains and nuts or perhaps fruits in another container.

Stainless steel has become one of the most common materials used for food and beverage containers. From stainless steel lunch boxes to insulated water bottles, stainless steel is becoming ubiquitous. And for good reasons.

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Why stainless steel?

Many experts believe that using stainless steel as material for food and beverage containers is far more eco-friendly than using plastic. After all, stainless steel is highly recyclable and renewable resources. With fears of depletion of our planet’s resources, many manufacturers are looking for ways to use sustainable materials for the products they produce, especially everyday items like food containers.

Additionally, stainless steel is also durable, resistant to oxidation and corrosion as well as very easy to clean. Unlike plastic food containers, food containers made from stainless steel like a stainless steel lunch box, do not impart flavour to your food. This characteristic of stainless steel makes it an ideal material of choice for food storage.

Food grade stainless steel

There are many kinds of stainless steel but the most common type that is used in food storage containers is the Type 304. Type 304 stainless steel is considered food-grade which means it is safe to use for food and beverages. Type 304 is also known as 18/8 and 18/10 stainless steel. These numbers indicate the amount of chromium and nickel in the stainless steel. For example, 18/8 stainless steel means that it contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel.

Food grade stainless steel or type 304 is widely used as a material for food storage containers because it does not leach any chemical or flavour into your food even if it is subjected to warm temperature. Moreover, this type of stainless steel is also resistant to oxidation and corrosion. There is where chromium and nickel come in. Chromium content protects the lunch box from oxidation and rust while the nickel content protects it from corrosion.

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