AIBU to worry after vegetarian sushi was unrefrigerated all day?

[Kitteninblack]

DS (7) has just eaten vegetarian M&S sushi on the coach home from a school trip that had been in an insulated lunchbox from about 8:30am until 3:30pm and now I’m panicking 🙈

It was kept in a sealed Tupperware inside the insulated lunch bag and had been refrigerated before school. No fish/meat in it. Ingredients were things like cucumber, peppers, edamame etc, although there are small amounts of pasteurised egg ingredients in the sauce/seasoning.

Would you be worried about food poisoning or do you think it’s probably fine? He seems absolutely normal at the moment but Google has sent me spiralling 😩

If and when he gets a stomach upset, worry then. Until then, no harm done. What would you do if anyone says 'no', you can't get his stomach pumped. Save your energy

For goodness sake, get a grip.

What? Since when does veg need refrigeration? Even if it was fish sushi, it would have been fine.

It'll be fine. Low risk. You're worrying unduly.

It's the rice I would worry about, if anything.

I think it’s the rice I’m worried about. Says bacteria can multiply quickly unrefrigerated.

I would assume it’s more about the rice.

I think if refrigerated then placed into an insulated bag it is fine 🍱

I’m sure it’ll be fine. If anything, he may just have the runs so just keep an eye on him. I’m impressed he will eat that though, my DS wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole!

Also to add, I really worry about food poisoning and stuff like that so I do get it!

"He seems absolutely normal".
So stop worrying.

It's 99.999....% that he'll be fine.
And if he isn't, deal with it in the wildly unlikely event IF it happens.

What, exactly, is worrying going to achieve for you all the time he is continuing to be "absolutely normal", other than your diminished mental health?

Why are you panicking? He'll either get sick or he won't. Most likely he won't. Either way, nothing you can do about it now.

It's the rice that could be the problem not the vegetables.

Having had bacillus cereus food poisoning myself I am very risk averse to taking cooked rice as a packed lunch on trips, but the risk is very small, and if it was in an insulated pack the boy should be fine.

Generally when it’s been cooked and left to cool gradually

He'll be fine and I say that as someone who understands your worry as I also panic about things like this.
However, I would never put food in a child's lunchbox that cannot be safely eaten after being a room temp for a couple of hours for exactly this reason!

@Undethetree
He doesn’t like sandwiches and he’ll only really eat veggie sushi in a packed lunch or on a picnic. I know it sounds crazy. I didn’t realise he wouldn’t eat it at lunchtime. It’s my fault really. I just hope he doesn’t get sick from it.

If it was cold when it went into the insulated box it will likely have stayed cold until lunch time so it's only been ambient temperatire for a couple of hours.
I'm sure he'll be fine.

My teen ate a sausage roll that has been in his bag all weekend on a residential school trip - he was fine - I’m still surprised now . I’d try not to panic at this point - just be ready to deal with the consequences should you not be so lucky

Totally fine, sushi is meant to be room temperature. I’d sit even fish sushi out on the counter for a couple hours before eating if I had the time. It’s not nice cold.

I wouldn't even think about this as something to worry about. He ate his lunch 2 hours later than planned. In ye olde days when I was at school we didn't have insulated lunch boxes etc. and we had meat paste or salmon paste rolls, or a slice of beef that had never been in a fridge, only the pantry.

The rice would be the issue, not the filling.

Would the rice be ok as it’s in vinegar?

If he will only eat sushi you need to get a mini blue ice pack to freeze and chuck it in his lunch bag, they are really small. I used to freeze a juice carton and chuck it in lunch boxes for a school trip along with an unfrozen one,

Not your fault at all!! I wish my kids would eat veggie sushi. Anyway, he'll be fine.

Me too.
Just keep.a close eye on him this week.

I assume it was from a supermarket rather than homemade?

It's likely to be fine as (generally) commercial products will have been made to stricter hygiene and food safety standards.

Particularly for rapidly chilling the rice after cooking, so the risk should be very low.

Hopefully all will be well.

I agree.