No matter what your age is, the end of summer is also the time of beginnings. This new beginning means binge-watching new episodes and the start of an epic football season. Finally, it's time to gear up for a new school year and new beginnings at your place. Which means getting up early, completing your business, and packing lunches. What students, sports fans, and outdoor enthusiasts have in common is packed lunch. However, people still prefer to pack their perishable food in a brown bag or old plastic bag. According to a study, food kept in an old-fashioned brown paper bag for more than two hours is unsafe to consume. So, is there any alternate solution one can opt for? The answer is...YES!

Insulated lunch box and bags. Unlike an old-fashioned brown bag, a thermal insulated lunch box. The bag can keep your food warm or cold for a long time and prevent it from going stale. It maintains food at a safe and consistent temperature until lunchtime. Insulated lunch boxes are even better than classic lunch boxes. When it comes to retain heat and preserve freshness due to their embedded insulation.

How Do Insulated Lunch Boxes Work?

The short answer is layers. Most insulated lunch boxes have multi-layer insulation. Which consists of an outer layer, a lining, and a middle layer that offers maximum insulation. The middle layer is one of the most important layers in an insulated lunch box, as without the same it wouldn't be any different than an average lunch box. While insulated lunch bags have a core layer made of foam that keeps food warm or cold, thermal and insulated lunch boxes usually rely on a vacuum created between the outer and the inner layer that prevents energy dissipation. The middle layers act as a barrier between the inner and outer layers and prevents heat from seeping inside which keeps the surrounding cold or hot from reaching the bag's contents. One of the most common things you must have noticed is that the exterior part of the insulated lunch boxes doesn't usually heat up when hot items are filled inside. This is because the inbuilt layer prevents heat from dissipating to its surroundings

Insulated lunch bags have an extra layer of protection that comes with an inner layer or a lining made of either foil, heavy vinyl, or plastic that is waterproof and heat reflective. Being heat-reflective allows the thermal energy to escape from the bag rather than absorbing it. As a reason, the food inside maintains a consistent temperature, flavor, and moisture for quite a long time than an average lunch bag. This means it will prevent the food inside from going stale.

This is one of the major reasons why insulated lunch boxes and bags are a must-have for someone who prefers packing their lunch, for school kids, working adults, and anyone who would rather consume a home-cooked meal than ordering takeout.

How Long Can an Insulated Lunch Box and Bag Keep The Food Warm/ Cold?

The condition of the food inside an insulated lunch box and bag varies depending on numerous factors:

• Type of material
• Whether or not there is a heated or frozen gel pack in the insulated bag
• The outside temperature

If the bag doesn't contain any gel pack then the food inside the bag:

• Hot - Keep the food warm even after two or three hours
• Cold - Four to five hours

A heated or frozen gel pack will add three to four extra hours. But then again these factors depend on the quality of the box and bag as well as the surrounding temperatures.

Mari has a premium quality insulated stainless-steel lunch box that comes with a unique style, design, and colour. Their 3 layer bento box has three separate containers that can be suitable for an adult size meal as well as for a child.

By Daniel Clark