[sweetpeas]

When my kids were younger, on longer trips they got a "present" every half hour of the trip, it was either something to do (new crayons and a notebook, or whatever) or a snack. I kind of alternated them). The first "gift" was usually a bag to contain the toy stuff after they got it, so if they were "bored" before the next gift, they could pull out one of the other activities and spend more time with it. I'd also have a specific cloth pouch (so it wasn't see-through) for each kid that I would refill to hand back with the next "surprise". Since they were getting snacks as "presents" I told them they didn't need other snacks. So that meant once each half hour I handed pouches back, each was a different color/print, so kids could pass them out to each other.

Alternately you could use an insulated bag for each person and pre-warn them that once it's empty you've had all your snacks for this trip.

If you're talking about lunch, as opposed to a few occasional snacks. I have these (https://www.amazon.com/Fit-Factor-Co...ox+collapsible) for everyone (Ziplock makes cheaper, plastic equivalents that I used until I found these at TJ Maxx) and everyone's lunch gets made into that (now that they're older, they make their own, when they were younger, I made them all). That way I can hand each kid a lunchbox, they see what food they have available, and the lunchbox serves as a "plate" to catch crumbs. My mom never wants to do that, she wants to make everything to order at mealtime, so when we travel with them she sits in the middle row so she has more room, and less turning around to make/pass out the food (even when I was a kid (from age 8 or so? I don't remember ever NOT doing it . . . ) , at mealtime she & I would trade seats. It was then my job to "feed dad" (hold his food when he needed both hands for driving. Hand him his food in a way it was easy for him to take while driving, etc) and she had more room and less turning around while making the sandwiches and such. Now, if we travel w/ my parents, I ride up front, and she rides in the middle row anyway, because Lina wants to ride next to her, not me