I remember the first time that I saw the FlatBox. I was watching Good Morning America, checking emails and listening to my dog snore. The segment “Sell A Shark” came on, and Barbara Corcoran was listening to companies pitch their products in 5 seconds or less.
A woman named Rita Vester came on and pitched her idea for a lunchbox that unzipped into a placemat. I thought it was incredibly brilliant and a god-send for those with food allergies and Celiac Disease. I totally wanted one and told my friends about it.
Now I have my very own FlatBox. Or at least my husband does. He’s a middle school teacher, and is highly conscious about the need to prevent cross-contact with food allergens. Usually he eats in the staff lounge, but some days he’s short on time and eats in his classroom. Having a FlatBox not only protects him from surfaces with his allergens to pork and shellfish, it protects his students from any possibly allergens from his lunch.
Most of the time I pack his lunch in a Bentgo container. It’s hard to find a lunchbox that it fits in though. That’s one of the great things about the FlatBox design. The soft and insulated neoprene-polyester sides are flexible enough to go around larger items. If you can zip up the sides, you’re good to go. It folds easily, which makes it simple to store.
Here’s a picture of my husband’s lunch, unzipped. Notice how large the mat is when fully opened. The FlatBox is completely machine washable, allowing for a “clean surface with each use.” It comes in different sizes and colors, and they also sell small ice packs on their site. Pretty cool.
Flatbox won the Best in Tabletop category at the International Housewares Association show in 2013. (I finally got to meet them at the Housewares show in 2019!) They’ve also been featured on the Today Show, Good Housekeeping and the New York Times. I’m glad I get to do my small part to get the word out to my friends about this great allergy-friendly lunchbox.
You can order your own FlatBox through their website.
*While I was given a free FlatBox to review, I totally would have bought one on my own. All thoughts and opinions are my own I seriously recommend this to everyone I know! This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I earn a small advertising commission on items you purchase. Thank you for your support!**
