Protecting families from contaminated food and water
All fields are required
Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Our Blog on July 10, 2026
In this episode of “Unsafe Viral Food Trends,” we bring you mailbox lasagna!
A recent viral video has been circulating social media, where on a news broadcast, meteorologist Jacob Dicky discusses how hot Illinois has been. So hot, in fact, that you could theoretically cook a lasagna in your mailbox.
He is not the first meteorologist to offer some form of this recipe or make the suggestion. Several social media influencers have also jumped on the mailbox lasagna bandwagon. Some assembling their own mailbox lasagna from cooked meat, sauce, and noodles. Others opting for frozen lasagna meals.
But is it safe?
If you are a regular follower of the Make Food Safe Blog, you probably already know the answer to that question.
For everyone else. The answer is a loud NO!
I will explain. But first, let’s talk about the recipe.
While recipes may vary from source to source, they are all about the same.
Illinois WCIA meteorologist discussed a three-step mailbox lasagna recipe on air.
Step #1: Assemble lasagna in a small 5×9 pan. Use only cooked meat.
Step #2: Place lasagna in mailbox by 10 am. Leave 4 to 8 hours to cook.
Step #3: Return home, grab mail, grab dinner, enjoy mailbox lasagna.
Dicky does give a quiet disclosure, “this is just for fun” and “we are just teasing about it.” But as with most things, the Internet has run with it.
In response to this unsafe viral food trend, other food safety advocates have publicly pointed out that this dish is a recipe for disaster. In addition to yours truly (non-lawyer and content writer for this informative blog), Safe Eats Training Academy also explains the potential danger.
“Heat wave caution: ‘Mailbox Lasagna’ recipes from @nws or your local weatherman can be a recipe for foodborne illness. It’s fun to joke in a heat wave- but food borne illness is no joke, and no fun! These heat wave temps fall in the temperature danger zone for food and bread bacteria! Don’t risk it—stay mindful of food safety guidelines for a healthy meal! #SmartCooking”
Safe Eats Training Academy touches on one of the major reasons this viral food trend is unsafe. But there are more.
There are plenty of reasons to not trust your mailbox to cook your food.
It may be hot inside that mailbox. But it is certainly not 350° F oven hot.
In order to kill harmful bacteria and keep them from growing, the internal temperature of the food need of a casserole (let’s say it is casserole-like) needs to be at least 165° F. Can a “mailbox oven” get hot enough for that.
Not likely.
Additionally, I suspect that this mailbox lasagna will not surpass the “danger zone” within the one hour window in which food should be discarded.
What is the danger zone? The temperature range between 40° F and 140° F.
This zone is the happy place where harmful bacteria can exponentially increase to infectious numbers.
Happy for them. Not so happy for us.
Cold food should be kept cold (under 40° F) and hot food should be kept hot (above 140° F). Excursions between those temperatures should be limited to two hours.
If ambient temperatures are above 90° F, which I am assuming occurs during a heatwave hot enough to prompt a mailbox lasagna teaser, this time limit drops to one hour. After that, the food is not safe to consume and should be thrown away.
While the mailbox may be hot, it is not a consistent heat source. Clouds passing by. A day shower. There are so many variables that can contribute to the internal temperature of a mailbox fluctuating. Unlike a crockpot with a thermostat and steady heat source, the variable temperature inside your mailbox time bomb is just too risky to trust.
In addition to it likely being unlawful to place anything besides un-postaged mail in your mailbox, there are other risks associated with unattended food.
It could be tampered with.
I’m not going to lie. If I were a mail carrier and I opened the mailbox to slide your envelopes inside and found a foil covered pan, I might be tempted to peek.
I’d like to add the fact that the original recipe did not, in fact, include foil. But I am going to take creative liberties here and assume that if you are cooking outside in the elements (err, mailbox), it will be covered.
When a curious passerby (or local mail carrier) opens your pasta surprise, you have to wonder. When was the last time they washed their hands? How much mail from how many households have they handled? Any number of germs could be transferred to your mailbox petri dish meal.
Another concern that comes to mind are bugs. Creepy crawly spiders, ants, and bugs of all types take their little legs through so much. Animal feces, dirt, you name it! As they track those germs around, they can make their way into your lovingly prepared gastrointestinal disaster.
Let’s face it. Even a mailbox that doesn’t contain a tempting food source is often home to a spider here and there. Or is that just mine?
If you are looking for a safer, convenient lasagna option without the unnecessary risk of gastric disaster, consider this Betty Crocker slow cooker lasagna recipe.
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 cans (15 ounces each) Italian-style tomato sauce
2 tsp dried basil leaves
½ tsp salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
15 uncooked lasagna noodles
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “Unsafe Viral Food Trends: Mailbox Lasagna,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)