Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am using this container for my son for past year. He carries his lunch to school in this container and it keeps the lunch decently warm. I would give it 4 stars that way. But there is a big hygiene concern. Inside of the lid has the rubber ring to keep the container air tight. That area is super hard to clean. I have tried to take out that rubber ring to clean many times but it its hard to get it out since its tucked underneath the steel part of the lid. Today I was set to take it out and tried a lot with many items, including a knief. Finally I had to cut it out to get it out. See the attached photos of the horrible state on the inside of the ring and underneath it. Its full of black yucky mold. The water gets trapped in there and mold accumulates. BAD design. what a HEALTH HAZARD! I wonder this design was even approved. Now ring is out and I cleaned the area beneath it. I am going to use the container without the ring. Which means its not air tight anymore. Let see if it still keeps the food warm.