Mum Sparks Debate After Sharing Snap Of Child's Lunchbox

One particular detail in the picture caught the attention of parents in a popular Facebook group but it's fair to say on first glance, the picture seems to show a regular packed meal.

Posting in the Aldi Mums Facebook page, which has a large number of Australian parents who are currently in their summer season, one mum said: "Never gave my children meat on their school lunches in the summer heat".

Another concerned parent said: "Even if you put an ice brick in their lunch box it soon gets hot. What each class room needs [is] a small fridge so kids can put their lunch in."

While a third said: "Mayo on ham?!! Ew."

However a flurry of comments were posted in defence of the mum, with people claiming that they had similar lunches when they were children and they "lived to tell the tale."

After reading the comments from concerned parents, one person responded: “Really? I went to school in the [Northern Territory], we kept our lunchboxes in our bags, outside, we ate meat in our sandwiches.”

When left out in the heat, foods including meat, cheese, fish and milk can spoil due to bacteria but there are ways to combat this.

You can keep perishable foods cold in hot weather by ensuring the lunch box is kept in a cool place out of direct sunlight and by using freezing packs to stop harmful bacteria from multiplying.

One hack for keeping foods like meat and yogurt cool in a lunch box is by freezing a small water bottle or juice box to keep the contents cool.

By lunch time the drink should have thawed enough for the child to drink and the food inside the lunchbox will be nice and cold.