Safe packed lunch for a 5yo

[FartnissEverbeans]

We live in a warm country (albeit with air con). Until today I’ve been sending my 5yo to school with deli meat in his sandwiches - the kind that you buy prepackaged at the supermarket, so not sliced on site. He takes an ice pack but that’s it in terms of storage.

I was Googling and saw that the advice is actually not to keep deli meat unrefrigerated for more than two hours, so now I’m worried about sending him into school with it as it’s definitely more than two hours til lunch.

Am I worrying unnecessarily? Are there any good alternatives? He’s allergic to egg, cashew/pistachio and sesame.

Thanks!

If it's in an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack then 4 hours is fine. 2 hours would be the limit if it was just on a plate with no protection.

Ice pack and a cool bag, it really will be fine. That's what I had growing up in ME, what all the kids have here when it's hot in the summer with no ac, same as a picnic on a hot summers day.

Is it in an insulated bag? IN which case, I'd say completely fine. I'd also say that depending on the meat, some are more.... robust?... than others!

I grew up in a hot country. We had old fashioned plastic lunch boxes and while our sandwiches tended to be pretty basic - jam, peanut butter, maybe cheese or ham - we certainly never ever considered any kind of insulation or cooling option!

It will be more than done up.lived in one of the biggest markets in the world for this type of mest and they have it everday in packed lunch. This is a little scaremongering and over cautious ans more if you left it on table.

More than ok*!