There is an inherent problem with getting food to go. Whether it’s a fast food place, takeout from a restaurant, or just lunch from the local supermarket, the food has to be in containers. Even a packed lunch requires help to be sustainable, with disposable juice boxes and individually wrapped items. Even reusable containers are made of plastic, and many people are keen to find alternatives.
One option is glass or pyrex. But these can be heavy and awkwardly prone to breakage (especially in a school child’s lunch). Then there is stainless steel – but it is not yet widely available in a range of sizes and shapes. Perhaps a more traditional approach would work.
In parts of India, home-cooked hot lunches are delivered to workers in metal containers -usually stainless steel, aluminum, or tin – called tiffin boxes. Different dishes are stacked and carried with a handle. Restaurants in Singapore offer a similar service – called tingkat – as a meal-catering program. The robust and reusable containers are practical and making a limited comeback.
In the UK, a few businesses are offering tiffin deliveries for office workers. But maybe the most promising idea is incorporating the tiffin box design into daily use. Rather than packing up the usual brown bag or Tupperware lunch, tiffin boxes allow a new, sustainable, and individual approach. Various companies now recognize this potential and offer tiffin products. For example, City Chef Kitchenware, Cost Plus World Market, and Zinnia Worldly Notions offer the stainless steel type. Pearl River has a wide variety of boxes, including melamine and sushi versions. However, melamine is still a plastic and does not offer the same thermal properties. LifeWithoutPlastic.com has both tiffin boxes and cedar bento boxes.
To-Go Ware carries a broad-based 2-tier tiffin box, as well as other sustainable products. Their bamboo cutlery set – intended for portable use – come in holders that support social projects. One option is made from plastic bags recycled in India and supporting local ragpickers. Cotton holders are made by Burmese refugees in a Fair Trade organization.
For a demonstration of the low-spill nature of the boxes, check this Youtube video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iCWNVuYkzA. However, different versions will be more or less leakproof, so test this out before packing a sloppy curry or tomato soup.
Admittedly, it is perhaps not the most practical solution for younger children – with the potential for toppling towers of lunch and the problem of heated foods. A more familiar thermos is probably better for soup or macaroni and cheese. More usefully, a two-tier box could hold cold foods like sandwiches, yogurts, and fruit. But older children, teenagers, and adults will admire the savvy design and be able to negotiate multiple dishes, as long as tiffin boxes can fit in a school locker, on a bike, or in the office fridge.
