Lunch Food Box vs Sidekick Small Ice Chest Cooler Lunchbox Flip Top Purple &: which is safer?
Klean Kanteen Lunch Food Box is the clear pick. Rubbermaid Sidekick Small Ice Chest Cooler Lunchbox Flip Top Purple & carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Our pick
Klean Kanteen
Lunch Food Box
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleBamboo fiber lid degradation or contaminant absorption
PossibleGasket or seal material composition
PossibleBamboo fiber formaldehyde or chemical treatment residue
Rubbermaid
Sidekick Small Ice Chest Cooler Lunchbox Flip Top Purple &
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleMicroplastic shedding or leaching
ReportedBacterial or mold growth in foam liner
PossibleOff-gassing or odor from new plastic
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Bamboo fiber lid degradation or contaminant absorption, Gasket or seal material composition and Bamboo fiber formaldehyde or chemical treatment residue on the Klean Kanteen and not on the Rubbermaid.
- We flag Microplastic shedding or leaching, Bacterial or mold growth in foam liner and Off-gassing or odor from new plastic on the Rubbermaid and not on the Klean Kanteen.
- The Klean Kanteen is stainless steel with bamboo fiber lid where the Rubbermaid is Plastic (PE/PP) with waterproof/insulating liner, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 75 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Klean Kanteen is the one to buy.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More lunch boxes & food containers: see the full ranking