Which lunch boxes and bento boxes have no plastic in the body, the lid or the latches?
Short answer: we can't find a plastic-free lunch boxes and bento we can verify. Every candidate we checked had a plastic part beyond a small seal, or one we could not confirm. The list below says which.
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.
The 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.
Side by side
Every lunch boxes and bento we checked, and what kept each one off the list. The full evidence for each is one click away.
| Rank | Photo | Materials | Packaging | Price seen | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checked, not listed | |||||
 | Minimal Minimal stainless steel lunch box, 1260 ml Cannot tell | ||||
| 18/8 food-grade stainless steel | Not verified yet | Not linked | lid seal: silicone | ||
Where plastic hides in lunch boxes and bento
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.
What to check before you buy
- 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?
Know of one?
If you make or own a lunch boxes and bento with no plastic in it, including the seal, tell us: chairman@amaterio.com. Send the maker's page and what the seal is made of. We vet every tip and publish the ones that hold up, with credit.
Checked and not listed
- Minimal Minimal stainless steel lunch box, 1260 ml
Cannot tellA 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.
Questions people and agents ask
- Is a stainless steel lunch box plastic-free?
- 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.
- What does BPA-free mean on a steel lunch box?
- 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.
- Does a silicone seal disqualify a lunch box?
- 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.