Cool New Laptop Lunches Improve Lunchtime Nutrition, Reduce Waste
Monday December 16, 8:04 am ET
Attractive, Reusable Lunch Container and Book of Healthful Lunch Ideas Put the Fun Back Into Children's Lunches

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Obentec, Inc. (www.obentec.com), today launched its Laptop Lunch system designed to make school lunches more enjoyable, nutritious and environmentally friendly.

The attractive, reusable lunch container in the shape of a laptop computer comes with brightly colored inner containers that can accommodate anything from soup to soy sauce. The system comes with The Laptop Lunch User's Guide: Fresh Ideas for Making Wholesome, Earth-friendly Lunches Your Kids Will Love, a book of recipes and menus for creative, nutritious lunches that are easy to prepare and fun to eat. It also includes information on the environmental and economic impact of pre-packaged lunches.

"At the beginning of the school year, I was excited about making lunches again, but by the end of September I was in a rut and my kids were bored with the same old foods. I wanted to send nutritious foods without creating waste," says Kate Chipman, San Rafael, California mother of two. "When I purchased Laptop Lunch containers for my sons it changed everything for us. We were excited about lunch making again. I got lots of fresh ideas for healthy lunches from the User's Guide and my kids love the fun colorful containers. Best of all, we send no lunchtime waste to the landfill because my kids eat all their food and the containers and utensils come home for reuse."

The Laptop Lunch Container

Inspired by the Japanese bento box, the Laptop Lunch container features a stylish hinged outer container, four inner food containers and a dip container for sauces, salad dressings, and dips. The inner containers can be included or omitted as needed to accommodate food choices. The Laptop Lunch container fits in backpacks and most lunch boxes, and is microwave and dishwasher safe. It comes with a fork and spoon made of stainless steel with attractive plastic handles. The tray-like system eliminates the mess of jumbled containers and makes lunch exciting for kids.

The Laptop Lunch User's Guide

The Laptop Lunch User's Guide packs 96 pages of fresh ideas for making wholesome lunches that kids love and are truly fun to prepare. It includes strategies for improving lunchtime nutrition and reducing waste, tips for picky eaters, quick-reference shopping lists, creative lunch menus, and quick and easy kid-friendly recipes.

Schools Can Save Money and Reduce Waste with Laptop Lunches

What parents might not realize is that packing disposable lunches results in higher costs for schools, since waste disposal fees are determined by volume. In an effort to save money, many schools across North America have begun to implement waste reduction programs, many of these focused on reducing lunchtime waste (see www.wastefreelunches.org for examples of successful programs and for information about the environmental impact of kids' lunches).

Downey Unified School District in Los Angeles County, for example, reduced the amount of trash it sends to the landfill by 65 percent, thus cutting the district's annual trash bill of $100,000 in half, saving $200,000 over four years.*

California Integrated Waste Management Board ( http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Schools/WasteReduce/Models/Districts.htm )
Convenience and Cost Savings for Parents

A family that packs prepackaged lunches will spend on average $4.02 a day per lunch or $723.60 per school year, while a family that packs waste-free lunches will spend $2.65 a day per lunch or $477.00 per school year. Laptop Lunches make it easy and convenient to realize these savings. The four food compartments are perfect for packing a main dish, a vegetable, a fruit, and a snack. The dip container can be filled with salad dressing, a sandwich spread, a dip, or a small treat. The fork and spoon fit in their own compartment, so they are not easily lost or accidentally thrown away.

Healthier Kids

By making use of the shopping tips, creative lunch menus, and healthy recipes offered in The Laptop Lunch User's Guide, parents can greatly improve their family's lunchtime diet. It is well documented that children who eat well have a lower incidence of obesity and tend to perform better in school; they are more energetic and can concentrate well.

Also included in the book are two incentive programs, The Star Incentive Program for encouraging children to help reduce waste and The HealthPoint System for improving nutrition.

Pricing and Availability

Laptop Lunches sell for about $20.00, with volume discounts available; prices may vary among retailers. Laptop Lunches can be purchased online at www.laptoplunches.com, through Alta Book Center at 1-800-ALTA/ESL (www.altaesl.com), and at select retail outlets. A list of Obentec retailers can be found at www.laptoplunches.com/retail.html.

About Obentec

Obentec, Inc. manufactures reusable lunch containers and lunch accessories, and publishes books aimed at improving family nutrition and reducing waste. The company was founded by two Santa Cruz, California moms, Amy Hemmert and Tammy Pelstring, whose mission is to make a positive difference in children's health and the environment by providing a convenient alternative to prepackaged lunch items and foods packed in disposable plastic bags.