To not put my packed lunch in the fridge?

[Council]

If I've make a sandwich or salad for lunch I usually make it the night before and put in in the fridge overnight.

When I get to work, I usually leave in my bag, for several reasons. - The work fridge isn't terribly pleasant, I forget to take it out of my bag, but mostly because the lunch is nicer to eat if it's not fridge cold.

I was told yesterday, that I was risking my health eating prawns that have been out of the fridge for 4 hours.

Surely not? The food is cold when I put it in my bag, the office is heated but not overly warm. The food still feels colder than room temperature by the time I eat it.

I’m a bit over cautious about this having had food poisoning (the food poisoning was not because of this reason but you don’t forget it in a hurry).

I work with someone who bought a coronation chicken sandwich at lunchtime on a Tuesday, didn’t eat it and left it on his desk overnight and all next morning and then ate it at Wednesday lunch. 24 hours and our office is 23 degrees.

Not a bother on him.

I was fairly disturbed by this, but told I was being “neurotic” by roughly 80% of the office. So I guess, to each his own

I wouldn't risk prawns (even if I ate them) but anything else I would be okay with. If you do it on a regular basis and it hasn't done you any harm yet then it is up to you.

I also think prawns left out of the fridge may be overly pungent so think that could possibly be what motivated the "concern for your health", effectively a diplomatic way of saying 'please don't, it stinks'.

I'd include a little ice pack too, or a frozen bottle of water (which would have defrosted by lunch). Especially with prawns.

With prawns I'd probably put them in the fridge but take them out about half an hour before I ate them, so they weren't fridge-cold.

If it was a ham sarnie no bother bt I wouldn’t risk it with prawns

YANBU

I never put my sandwich in the fridge at work

I never have in all the various places I have worked since graduating over 20 years ago

I've never had food poisoning

I’m normally not too stringent with food storage but a couple of years ago I ate prawns for lunch that I had forgotten to put in the work fridge that morning...I had a very rough three days with food poisoning! I’m a lot more careful now.

I leave my lunch in my bag, it's out the fridge about 5 1/2 hours before I eat it and it has never been a problem. I would however be careful about prawns as they are quite high risk for food poisoning, and do absolutely stink once they start to turn. DD's peg was above a heater last year, which apparently made the mayo in her sandwiches "go all gross and snotty" til the teacher sorted out a box to leave lunches in away from the heater, so its probably worth thinking about where you leave your bag.

Why is it OK for kids' lunches to be left out?
I do lunch duty, I would say approx 90% of the kids have insulated lunch boxes at my school, and ice packs/frozen water in good weather, I have also never yet seen a child with prawns in their lunch box, maybe because the parents know they don't go in the fridge.

I’m not that fussy and don’t bother refrigerating lunches during the day but I wouldn’t risk it with prawns

YANBU. Food tastes much better at room temperature.

Does the fridge have a timelock on it? Can't you put it in the fridge until an hour before lunchtime, then take it out?

Or, take stuff that doesn't need to be refrigerated. If a supermarket left a pack of prawns out for 4 hours, would you buy them? If not then how is it different?

For goodness sake! Of course it's fine. Meat and fish can still be consumed even if they have been out of the fridge. It's not like they've been left to fester in 30c heat 🙄