Funky Lunchboxes for Kids and Adults

As the world becomes more health-conscious and the recession tightens its grip, more and more people - adults and children - are taking packed lunches to work and/or school. Gone are the days of using small galvinised steel buckets (a la The Waltons) to carry food around. Now, lunch boxes can be as much a fashion statement as Dior handbags and Jimmy Choos.

So, for the classic, adventurous and downright eccentric among you, here are some of the best lunch boxes and lunch bags on the market today.

The new lunchboxes which come with dividers - inspired probably by Japanese bento boxes - are a great idea for someone who likes a variety of food for lunch, or a meal plus snacks, which can all be kept in one handy box.

Some smaller boxes have one division, allowing foods such as meat and vegetables to be stored separately, or a small meal and a dessert or fruit to be kept apart and eaten at different times. Lunchbots are perfect examples of these small divided lunchboxes.

Cute enough for adults and kids alike, the Panda two-tier bento box is a perfect example of a compact lunch box that separates food out. Unlike the Lunchbot, the Panda's way of dividing food is to use a tier-system. Two tiers keep food 100% separate and prevents tastes or smells leaking from portion to the other.

The other two-tier is a more traditional style bento box, the Kotobuki 2-Tiered Bento Box, Black with Red Cherry Blossom (Sakura). The top tier comes with another divider, so there is a large bottom compartment for full portions, and the top tier can contain two different types of snacks. This box could see you through a morning snack, lunch and an afternoon treat - depending on the size of your treats, of course!

Lunch bags derive from the enormous cooler bags people used to stuff full and lug to the beach or to a barbeque. They follow the same principles, being insulated and wipe-clean.

Lunch bags are the new lunch box, and come in a variety of styles and sizes. From the sophisticated to the practical to the fun, lunch bags are insulated to keep food cool and, once empty, can be folded down and put into another bag or briefcase to travel home, making them less bulky or cumbersome than some of the larger lunchboxes, although naturally food will need to be packaged within the bags.

Bento boxes were created by the Japanese hundreds of years ago to make their unique style of eating easy when on the move. Made up of multiple small compartments, each of which would contain a different type of food, such as rice, vegetables, fish, fruit etc, bento boxes are elegant, traditional and extremely practical.

The plastic and metal contemporary bento boxes are practical and easy to use, many being microwave and dishwasher safe. Traditional bento boxes made from wood and lacquer are both a statement and a practical way to carry food around.

From embarrassing Tupperware that always stained orange no matter how well you cleaned it, lunch boxes have suddenly become cool, and it's pretty obvious from the above why that is. No longer a sign of poverty or thrift, lunch boxes, lunch bags and bento boxes can be as much style accessory as food necessity. So enjoy the new-found lunchtime freedom with one of these amazing food storage accessories.