ECOlunchboxes Review

ECOlunchboxes Review

If you are looking for some great looking, eco-friendly, fair trade lunch containers, then these are for you.  They are durable and clean up easy.  However, all of the products might not work for kids and all of the features come at a price...CHECK OUT MY FULL REVIEW HERE

ECOlunchbox makes stainless steel lunch boxes and accessories for those families that are looking to keep their food in containers that are, "Healthy for People and the Planet."  They say their products are, "plastic-free, waste-free, BPA-free, PVC-free, petroleum-free and vinyl-free."  They are fair trade artisan hand crafted goods made in India.  I love that they are doing their part to help the planet and help people.  I only have time to go into my real world review of how the products worked for my family, but to learn more about how their products are made click HERE.  To learn more about fair trade and how you can make a difference in people's lives check out the Trade As One site HERE.  

Clever Packaging

The customer service for ECOlunchbox was friendly and prompt.  They answered my questions very quickly--even on a holiday weekend!  I received my products in a couple days and was immediately impressed when I opened the box.  Their packaging was simple, but smart and communicated their mission clearly.  Their "nutritional facts" label was very clever.  All the packaging was made from recyclable materials.

The Oval, Solo Cube, ECOlunchpod,
and Spork

I looked at their stainless steel food container products first.  They were simple but sophisticated and very functional.  They sent me their ECOlunchbox Oval (with included small stainless steel cup and lid), Solo Cube, ECOlunchpod, and spork.  The Oval ($24) was my favorite piece as it is big enough to pack numerous food items in, yet small enough to be extremely portable.  The latches held the lid snug and I had no issues.  You need to be aware that the small dipping cup is not water tight so it will leak if you are not careful.  I chose to put cold pasta in the dipping cup for my daughter and it was a great serving size for her (check out  the whole lunch that I made in these containers HERE).  The Solo Cube ($20) is the perfect size for a sandwich or similar food.  For the small ECOlunchpod ($7), I put in a serving of blueberries.  It seemed to be a good size for a side dish such as this.  My daughter was very excited about the unique looking spork ($20 for a set of 4).  I was skeptical about it, but it turned out to be a fun way for her to eat.  There is one caution.  If you plan on using this, make sure to include hand sanitizer or be in a place to wash your hands.  The spork doesn't have a handle and you need to touch either the spoon or fork side to use it.

All the containers held up well after a day at Kindergarten.  One thing that surprised me was how cold the containers were after taking them out of the fridge (I make my daughter's lunches the night before).  There is no insulation, however, so if your food needs to stay cold for long periods of time you will need to find a way to include ice.  ECOlunchbox provides ideas for this on their website so you can check those out if interested.  I was wondering how hard it would be to clean, so I tried hand washing and using the dishwasher.  Both methods proved very easy to clean.  There were some water spots, so if you are very particular, this might drive you nuts.

ECOlunchbox Soft Goods

I received three bags to review, the Furoshiki ECOsnacksack, Furoshiki ECOlunchwrap, and ECOlunchbag with cloth napkins.  These come in all different colors and seem to be durable.  They look thin, but are double layered and sewed together well.

My daughter chose the Lunchbag (the largest bag, $50 bundled with container, napkins, and bamboo spork) to take to school.  One drawback to using multiple containers is that you need more space in your bag to carry them.  This Lunchbag carried them well with room to spare, although you wouldn't be able to carry a tremendous amount of stuff in it.  The cool thing about this bag is that it can be converted to be used as a backpack, purse, or hip bag.  The cloth napkins match the bag and come in handy for numerous things besides cleaning up.

The Furoshiki ECOlunchwrap ($35 bundled with a container and bamboo spork) is a pretty cool bag if you want something different.  Be warned it does take a few times to figure out how to tie the knots well (although instructions are included for this, as well as all their bags).  This bag style dates back centuries in Japan and can carry a few of the lunch containers, but not as much as the larger Lunchbag.  My friend and food critic, the Picky Eater, loved this bag and thought it could come in handy for her needs.  This bag is probably not for the kids since there are no latches and it can come open easily.

The Furoshiki ECOsnacksack ($35 bundled with a container and spork) was the smallest bag.  My wife really liked this one and said she would use it to tie to the stroller for snacks while she is out with the kids.  All the bags have different purposes so the one you would choose would depend on your needs.  As a man, I do have to say that while the stainless steel containers work for everyone, the bags seemed to be geared more towards women.  Due to the patterns and look, they are not my cup of tea, but I love how they are made and the women I showed them to were highly impressed.

Overall, I give all of these products a high grade.  The stainless steel containers don't have the bright colors for kids that some lunch boxes have, but the bags could serve that purpose for your child.  If you are looking for reusable lunch containers that help the planet and are well made, then these are for you.  They don't come cheap, but if you use them regularly they will pay for themselves over time.  You can order them from www.ecolunchboxes.com.

Disclosure: ECOLunchboxes sent me this product to review.  I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

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