Mother horrified to find mould in sealed compartment of children’s lunchboxes

‘I feel awful that my children have been eating lunch out of these’

Schoolgirls eating lunch. (Getty)

A mother in New Zealand was shocked when she uncovered significant amounts of mould hidden in a “secret” compartment in her children’s lunchboxes.

Grace Bollen posted photographs of the mould-ridden containers on Facebook as a warning to other parents in a post that has since garnered more than 1,400 shares.

The mother-of-two revealed that the discovery left her feeling ashamed and sorry for her children, who had been eating out of the lunchboxes for nine and 12 months respectively.

“So today, something in me prompted me to pry open the glue in the kids lunchboxes,” Bollen begins.

“I saw a little black spot in the corners while washing. This is what I found. I’m absolutely appalled. I feel awful that my children have been eating lunch out of these.”

She added that each lunchbox had been washed by hand and left to dry overnight.

Bollen concluded her post with a warning to parents which she urged others to share, writing: “ADVICE: don’t buy any lunch boxes that you can’t clean ALL the parts.”

In an updated post, she revealed that both of the companies behind each lunchbox have since been in touch and are “working to rectify the problem with the manufacturer's” in order to make them “water tight”.

Bollen’s post garnered more than 1,700 comments from outraged parents sharing their experiences of mouldy lunchboxes.

“Disgusting,” wrote one person.

“Unfortunately it happens with so many things that have ‘components’ or hidden holes etc.

“Just be mindful to open regularly to soak/clean/dry perfectly. Or do what I do! Use tiny Tupperware inside a washable open box”.

While the the lunchboxes Bollen mentions appear to be made from plastic, fabric lunch boxes may be no better in terms of preventing mould.

In 2016, a study revealed that 73 per cent of fabric-based lunch boxes contain significant amounts of potentially harmful bacteria.

Conducted by cleaning company e-cloth, the research suggested that uncleaned lunch boxes could become a cesspit for mould, potentially causing a number of health issues such as migraines, coughs, asthma and itchy eyes.