Holy crap! Just last week I was having a nervous breakdown over buying new stuff, and here I am promoting a new product. Again. What can I say? I am human, and this product is awesome.
100% stainless steel LunchBots containers are the brainchild of Jacqueline Linder, a kindred spirit who was sick of plastic and wanted to do something about it. She developed LunchBots as an alternative to plastic lunch containers and plastic baggies. Her approach is an example of the Precautionary Principle in action, as demonstrated in the “Why Avoid Plastic?” section of her site. It’s also very reasonable.
Jacqueline sent me two LunchBots models to try out: the LunchBots Uno and LunchBots Duo. The Duo is divided into two compartments — great for small snack or side dish portions. The Uno is one single sandwich-sized compartment. Before she sent them, I asked about one of my favorite subjects: shipping materials. Here’s what she wrote back:
I ship LunchBots in a box sized to fit the number of containers well in order to eliminate or minimize the amount of stuffing needed. Each LunchBot is wrapped (no tape or stickers) in a small sheet of tissue paper to protect the surface during shipping.
In addition, for retail accounts, we have no box, the containers stack on the shelf and our packaging is merely a 1″ strip of recycled paper that wraps around the base of the container.
On the subject of tape, my boxes self close and I use just a few inches to protect it from being opened by the wrong person. I will definitely look into paper tape, especially since I need more tape for larger wholesale orders.
And just as she promised, the containers were shipped nearly plastic-free:
You might be wondering why I’m so excited about LunchBots when I’ve already written about other great stainless steel containers like those from Life Without Plastic and To-go Ware. Without a doubt, those containers are great for food storage.
What makes LunchBots different is their shape. Flatter than the other containers, LunchBots fit easily into a purse while traveling (although they are not completely leak-proof, so best not to carry them sideways with wet food inside.) The lid does snap on pretty tightly without the need for a silicone seal. In fact, I wondered about whether small children might find the lids difficult to manage. Jacqueline reponded, “Sometimes the lids are tricky the first 1-2 times that kids use them. Once they get the hang of it there are no problems.”
Their flat shape is what enables me to finally give up my Tupperware sandwich container, the last piece of plastic foodware to which I still clung. LunchBots are not quite as square as the Tupperware. I’m hoping Jacqueline (or someone!) will develop a square version in the future. But for now, I’ll be carrying my sandwiches in a LunchBots Uno instead of plastic. And the guys at the Green Bean Cafe who sometimes make my lunch can quit asking me why I have them put my sandwich in a plastic container if I’m so against plastic.
Jacqueline would like you to know that LunchBots have been independently tested at a California lab to certify that they are lead-free. You can use the coupon code FREESHIP09 to order from www.LunchBots.com and get free shipping.
OR if you’ve read this far, you might be in luck. While I’m keeping the LunchBots Uno for myself, I’ll give away the LunchBots Duo to a random Fake Plastic Fish reader. To enter, please leave a comment on this post with your name and the funniest joke you can remember. We can all use a little levity, right?
[...] is one of the few recognisable brands. For example, Beth Terry, from Fake Plastic Fish explained in this post how she replaced her tupperware for stainless steel [...]