Bento...risk of food poisoning?

[kodama]

I was thinking on making a bento lunch to bring to school and was wondering how one can put together a traditional bento while avoiding food poisoning. Most of the bento recipe sites I've gone to mention part of the meal consisting of meat or fish, but I would think that having such things sit about for 4 hours would cause them to go bad.

Is this an issue with bento lunches and does anyone have any advice about how to avoid it?

ありがとうございます！

[richvh]

I wouldn't think there'd be anymore risk than taking a ham sandwich in a bag to school, something I did for years with no ill effects.

[keatonatron]

You're supposed to cook it all first. Throwing raw meat in a paper bag and eating it 4 hours later wouldn't be that great, but cooked steak or hamburger can sit out all night without a problem.