{
  "slug": "lunch-boxes",
  "name": "Lunch boxes and bento",
  "question": "Which lunch boxes and bento boxes have no plastic in the body, the lid or the latches?",
  "status": "nothing-qualifies",
  "updated": "2026-11-11",
  "editor": "cody-wauters",
  "page": "https://amaterio.com/plastic-free/lunch-boxes/",
  "summary": "Nothing in lunch boxes has earned a spot yet. We checked one box, Minimal's 1,260 ml stainless steel lunch box, and we can't tell if it's plastic-free.\n\nThe body is 18/8 stainless steel and the lid is sealed with silicone, which on its own would be a Bronze. The maker says no plastic parts. A listing for the 1,000 ml size says the box includes plastic (BPA free), and nothing says which parts the 1,260 ml shares. The lid material, the latch mechanism and whatever the BPA-free claim describes are all unconfirmed. The retailer we found also lists it as no longer available.",
  "whyPlastic": "Steel is the easy part. A stainless box with a plastic lid, plastic clips or a plastic divider is still a plastic lunch box. The lid is where most go wrong: a snap-on lid is usually polypropylene, and the leakproof ones add a silicone gasket and clips. Silicone is a named allowance, but the clips and the latch are often nylon or PP, so you have to look at each one. The boxes that get furthest are all-steel with a pressed lid, or steel with only a silicone seal.",
  "whatToCheck": [
    "Lid: stainless steel, silicone, or a plastic snap-on?",
    "Latches and clips: steel, or nylon and polypropylene?",
    "Seal: is the gasket silicone, and is it the only non-steel part?",
    "Dividers and inserts: steel, silicone, or plastic?",
    "Coatings: is there a printed, painted or powder-coated finish on the steel?"
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Is a stainless steel lunch box plastic-free?",
      "a": "Only if the lid, the latches and the seal are too. Steel is the easy part. Leakproof boxes mostly seal with a silicone gasket, which earns Bronze when it's the only synthetic part, and many close with a plastic or nylon latch, which doesn't. Look at each one."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does BPA-free mean on a steel lunch box?",
      "a": "It's a claim made about plastics. On a box sold as steel it should prompt a question: which part is the BPA-free one? We treat it as unknown until the maker answers."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does a silicone seal disqualify a lunch box?",
      "a": "No. One silicone seal on an otherwise plastic-free box earns Bronze, and we name it on the page. A silicone lid, divider or sleeve doesn't."
    }
  ],
  "whyNone": "",
  "products": [
    {
      "slug": "minimal-stainless-steel-lunch-box-1260ml",
      "name": "Minimal stainless steel lunch box, 1260 ml",
      "brand": "Minimal",
      "category": "lunch-boxes",
      "tier": "cannot-tell",
      "rank": null,
      "page": "https://amaterio.com/plastic-free/lunch-boxes/minimal-stainless-steel-lunch-box-1260ml/",
      "url": null,
      "affiliateUrl": null,
      "price": {
        "amount": 35.98,
        "currency": "CAD",
        "seenAt": "2026-11-10"
      },
      "madeIn": "",
      "inTheBox": "",
      "unknowns": [
        "lid",
        "latches and locking mechanism",
        "any part described as BPA-free",
        "interior and exterior finish",
        "fasteners, rivets and joints",
        "labels, logo and printing"
      ],
      "verdict": {
        "summary": "A steel box with a silicone-sealed lid and two metal latches. The maker says no plastic parts, and a listing for the 1,000 ml size says the box includes plastic (BPA free). Both can't be true of the same design, and nothing says which parts the 1,260 ml shares. The lid material, the latch mechanism and whatever \"BPA-free\" is describing are all open. Well.ca also lists the box as no longer available. If the lid proves to be steel with a silicone seal, it would earn Bronze.",
        "date": "2026-11-11",
        "passes": [
          "pass-1",
          "pass-2"
        ],
        "agree": false,
        "caveat": "Unknown: the lid material, the latch and hinge mechanism, the part the BPA-free claim refers to, the finish, the latch fasteners and joints, and any label or print. The lid seal is silicone. Dividers are sold separately and were not judged. Well.ca showed the box as no longer available on 2026-11-10. Packaging not checked."
      },
      "components": [
        {
          "name": "body",
          "role": "major",
          "material": "18/8 food-grade stainless steel",
          "class": "not-plastic",
          "ruling": null,
          "source": {
            "url": "https://well.ca/products/minimal-stainless-steel-lunch-box_333249.html",
            "quote": "crafted from 18/8 food-grade stainless steel",
            "translation": "",
            "retrieved": "2026-11-09",
            "archive": "https://web.archive.org/web/20261110063855/https://well.ca/products/minimal-stainless-steel-lunch-box_333249.html"
          }
        },
        {
          "name": "lid",
          "role": "major",
          "material": "not stated; described as silicone-sealed",
          "class": "unknown",
          "ruling": null,
          "source": {
            "url": "https://well.ca/products/minimal-stainless-steel-lunch-box_333249.html",
            "quote": "The air- and watertight silicone-sealed lid",
            "translation": "",
            "retrieved": "2026-11-10",
            "archive": ""
          }
        },
        {
          "name": "lid seal",
          "role": "major",
          "material": "silicone",
          "class": "plastic",
          "ruling": "R1",
          "source": {
            "url": "https://well.ca/products/minimal-stainless-steel-lunch-box_333249.html",
            "quote": "The air- and watertight silicone-sealed lid",
            "translation": "",
            "retrieved": "2026-11-09",
            "archive": "https://web.archive.org/web/20261110063855/https://well.ca/products/minimal-stainless-steel-lunch-box_333249.html"
          }
        },
        {
          "name": "latches and locking mechanism",
          "role": "major",
          "material": "metal latches; hinge and pivots not described",
          "class": "unknown",
          "ruling": null,
          "source": {
            "url": "https://well.ca/products/minimal-stainless-steel-lunch-box_333249.html",
            "quote": "two large metal latches securely lock the container",
            "translation": "",
            "retrieved": "2026-11-09",
            "archive": "https://web.archive.org/web/20261110063855/https://well.ca/products/minimal-stainless-steel-lunch-box_333249.html"
          }
        },
        {
          "name": "any part described as BPA-free",
          "role": "major",
          "material": "not stated",
          "class": "unknown",
          "ruling": null,
          "source": {
            "url": "https://well.ca/products/minimal-stainless-steel-lunch-box_333249.html",
            "quote": "With its BPA-free, hygienic design",
            "translation": "",
            "retrieved": "2026-11-10",
            "archive": ""
          }
        },
        {
          "name": "interior and exterior finish",
          "role": "minor",
          "material": "not stated",
          "class": "unknown",
          "ruling": "R3",
          "source": null
        },
        {
          "name": "fasteners, rivets and joints",
          "role": "minor",
          "material": "not stated",
          "class": "unknown",
          "ruling": null,
          "source": null
        },
        {
          "name": "labels, logo and printing",
          "role": "minor",
          "material": "not stated",
          "class": "unknown",
          "ruling": null,
          "source": null
        }
      ],
      "packaging": {
        "verified": false,
        "materials": [],
        "class": "unknown",
        "source": null
      },
      "commentary": [
        {
          "url": "https://www.brookstone.com/products/minimal-all-stainless-steel-lunch-box-34-oz",
          "quote": "food grade stainless steel, silicone and plastic (BPA free)",
          "translation": "",
          "supports": "concern"
        }
      ],
      "images": [
        {
          "src": "/products/minimal-stainless-steel-lunch-box-1260ml/1.webp",
          "alt": "Minimal Minimal stainless steel lunch box, 1260 ml",
          "credit": "Photo: Minimal (well.ca)",
          "source": "https://dr9wvh6oz7mzp.cloudfront.net/i/bdf08656b97c27b3e7ad8100267fa9de_ra,w403,h806_pa,w403,h806.jpg"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}