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AIBU?

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Original poster

School nut allergy policy

196 replies

PigeonPairinSomerset · 08/07/2024 15:43

I’m fully prepared to back down on this one but keen to know if anyone supports my view - our school has a nut free policy which I know is common. I am aware how severe these allergies can be in some cases. At our school however , there are children who would only have an allergic reaction if they actually ate food containing nuts. Some of my children’s favourite foods are peanut butter and houmous, which they can’t have in their packed lunches. AIBU to think that the school could just encourage kids not to share food? And for the parents of those affected kids to teach their kids not to eat their friends’ food?! I feel like some really healthy options for my kids are now off the table.

OP posts:
trippily · 08/07/2024 16:10

No houmous because of the tahini? Most schools are nut free unfortunately I think it's a real shame. We have an egg allergy child but we are not an egg freez school!

Skyrainlight · 08/07/2024 16:08

Simonjt · 08/07/2024 15:57

It isn’t about having a bite of someones sandwich, its about that child touching a pencil, desk etc and the child with the allergy touching that and then their face.

Exactly this!

NeverDropYourMooncup · 08/07/2024 16:07

Oh, just teach your child not to sneeze. Or to open their sandwich next to an allergic child. Or six foot away. Or to not touch a child in the playground. Or to cough. Or be sick.

I'm sure it'll be fine and not a bloody stupid idea to give them a peanut butter sandwich.

Might be a plan to teach them how to use an epipen and do CPR, too, seeing as they'll be the ones who cause the anaphylaxis.

Flossflower · 08/07/2024 16:04

questionningmyself · 08/07/2024 15:49

Humous isn't made with peanuts

Homous usually has a bit of sesame in it. A lot of people are allergic to this

Tagyoureit · 08/07/2024 16:04

Please don't be so stupidly short sighted on this subject.

Rachie1973 · 08/07/2024 16:03

An intolerance can flip to an anaphylactic reaction on one random exposure.

waryandbored · 08/07/2024 16:00

If it was your child with a potentially life-threatening allergy, I think you’d feel differently. There are nut-free peanut butter subs you can use and plenty of other foods! It’s not about sharing foods necessarily - it’s about contamination like when they share a water jug or flush the toilet for example.

boyohboys · 08/07/2024 15:59

Yes YABVU. Avoiding a small handful of foods for just 5 out of the 21 meals they eat in a week is really not a hardship and you're pretty selfish for thinking your DC have humous or peanut butter should trump a child's welfare. Spare a thought for the family who panic every time their child eats a meal away from home.

JollyGreenSnake · 08/07/2024 15:59

I'm not sure that you understand how serious these allergies can be.
Your children can enjoy as much PB as they like at home.

Simonjt · 08/07/2024 15:57

It isn’t about having a bite of someones sandwich, its about that child touching a pencil, desk etc and the child with the allergy touching that and then their face.

PeloMom · 08/07/2024 15:54

Many people use sunflower seed or pumpkin seed butter as peanut butter replacement. There are other nut free butters too.
my kid’s school uses Wowbutter (made of soy) as a nut butter substitute

AmandaHoldensLips · 08/07/2024 15:52

It's a minefield unless the school provides fully-screened school meals as parents cannot always be certain of what's in the ingredients of the food they're sending in with their DCs.

And @questionningmyself - I think humous has tahini in it? Which has sesame seeds.

PeloMom · 08/07/2024 15:52

You’re telling me you know ALL kids in the school and their conditions in detail and up to date??
also, your kid can have all the hummus and PB they like at home.is it really that hard to do a nut free snack/ lunch for you.
what nuts are there in hummus - I’m aware it containing sesame only in terms of seeds but no nuts.

NannyR · 08/07/2024 15:52

A lot of the allergy/anaphylaxis charities don't advocate for nut free schools. They provide a false sense of security and don't prepare children safely for environments where nuts may be present according to Allergy UK. There are also other allergens which can cause anaphylaxis such as milk, you can't really have a totally allergen free school, so what happens for those children?

Onionbhajisandwich · 08/07/2024 15:51

If it was your child with the allergies would you want the rule in place??

EdgyCat · 08/07/2024 15:50

Your reasons are very weak

questionningmyself · 08/07/2024 15:49

Humous isn't made with peanuts

AuntMarch · 08/07/2024 15:49

There is no way you know the severity of every allergy in the school. Give them peanut butter at home. Your inconvenience isn't more important than other children's health/lives.

Mrsttcno1 · 08/07/2024 15:48

Unless you literally had a teacher sat with every pupil all throughout lunchtime you could never be absolutely certain that this wouldn’t happen, so of course it’s safer for all involved to say no nuts and realistically its 1 meal a day, your kids can have a whole jar of peanut butter and humous for dinner if they want to, they just have to have something else for that 1 meal. Rather your child have a different spread in their sandwich than another child die.

Ayeyourebeingadick · 08/07/2024 15:46

Honestly, someone’s child could die if they shared food. It’s really not worth the risk for an easy lunch for you.

If your child was allergic and could die if they took something like penicillin, would you be happy with taking unnecessary risks? I’m sure being an allergy parent is hard enough worrying that your child could die if they ate something without worrying about someone’s sandwich options.