Pesto in lunch box - nut free school

School Nursing Service advise. It most certainly isnt utter nonsense. It creates a false sense of security.

Allergy UK being 1.

Most shop pestos do contain other nuts unless she’s buying premium products. I only released there were cashews in the brand I buy when I thankfully checked before cooking for a child with nut allergy

Where on earth have you read that allergy charities don’t think it’s helpful? Utter nonsense

Aren't loads of nuts actually seeds though? Cashews, almonds etc.

Or maybe you need to read the thread @Meltdown247

You need to get out more. Or maybe you need to get out less and educate yourself on what a pine nut is.

You can buy nut free pesto, the expensive sacla one I think it is. I used to buy it for my daughters packed lunch at forest school because they were but free. It looks and tastes exactly the same. People would have looked and assumed it was the one with cashews in but it wasn’t and I knew it was fine. If someone had said what you said I would have responded with ‘it’s fine’.
its very very easy to buy pesto with only pine nuts in. So I would assume you were being a busy body to be honest and wouldn’t elaborate when you were insinuating I am behaving badly.

Most commercial pesto is made with cashews rather than the traditional pine nuts, for cost and availability reasons. Belazu and Garofalo are two brands that use pine nuts, but it's actually surprisingly unusual. I've just checked products from Filippo Berio, Mutti, Sacla, Barilla, Ocado, M&S, Daylesford Organics and Realfoods by Organico and they all use cashews.

In fact it doesn't sound like it matters either way as pine nuts can still be a problem and if nuts aren't allowed schools would be wise not to allow pesto as obviously they can't check the ingredients.

Obviously the above brands are mentioned for illustration only. Check the labels on any products you buy if you need to avoid cashews.

I also have a tree nut allergy and am very very allergic to pine nuts.

I take exception to the posters saying that they are seeds and so it is fine.
I was told tree nut allergies often include pine nuts-they are one of my worst triggers.

You only have to google to read horror stories of ppl dying because of other ppls cavalier ignorance.

@Franxie I am disappointed that your friend is so selfish & unconcerned about putting pesto in a school lunch.
Obviously if the rules are inconvenient for her then she doesn't have to follow them.
I assume if it potentially impacted her DC she might be bothered...

Even though they were absolute classic symptoms of anaphylaxis I might add…

The lack of knowledge extends to hospitals unfortunately. I had an anaphylactic reaction to medication which was being administered in hospital. The nurse asked me to run across the room to the oxygen! They also refused to administer an epipen even though I repeated asked (gasped) for one.

Luckily all was okay in the end. I read medical reviews on the topic and apparently my experience is (frighteningly) common even in a medical setting. I did know what was happening as I have an allergic child and knew the symptoms but they weren’t so obvious to the medical staff.

With do many other foods the kids could eat it's stupid and selfish to take the risk. I'd be telling your friend this. If one of her kids had the allergy she would think differently. She could put another DC at serious risk.

Oh please, please read the fucking thread. I posted the very first post saying "well, they're seeds so not usually an allergen" and was very quickly schooled by a number of pine nut allergy sufferers who I hope are campaigning for schools to include pine nuts in their widespread nut ban.

Sainsburys Taste the difference pesto contains pine nuts and no cashews. the only allergen listed on the ingredients is milk.

However, the ingredients also states that the product is unsuitable for people with a nut allergy because of the method of manufacture.

Forgot to attach the screenshot!.

I mean how would you both feel if a child died because of this stupidly selfish woman feeding her DC pesto at school.

People underestimate how dangerous this could be

@WhereIsMyJumper this screenshot may also help illustrate the point.

It is also sobering that 20% of severe reactions at school happen to children with no prior history of anaphylaxis.

It's worth all school staff getting training to identify the signs of anaphylaxis and what to do. For instance I have had to explain countless times that you don't move a child with an allergic reaction. Even walking can make their reaction much worse. Bring the EpiPen to them

The distinction for me is that when I am with my child I can monitor them for any reaction, and at the first sign of any reaction they can tell me easily. And I have don't lots of training on and learning about anaphylaxis and will feel very comfortable to make the decisions that need to be made

Whereas when my daughter had a reaction (to milk) recently in school, she first had to realise she was having a reaction, then get a friend to get help (because of course she shouldn't move), then it was a horrible stressful time for the school staff while they waited for the ambulance.

The rules (for all allergens) need to be extra tight at schools not just to protect the children with allergies but also to protect their peers and teachers from a horribly stressful situation (at best) and a fatal tragedy and the intrusive investigations that go along with it at worse

I cannot imagine what it must have felt like, and still feels like for the staff who cared for Karanbir Cheema (Milk allergy -died), Benedict Blythe (milk allergy-died), Maizy Harman (egg allergy -severe anaphylaxis but survived) and those are just a few examples. What I do know is how scared my daughter's teacher sounded when she rang me. And how relived they were when I said I could get to school quickly.

I don't understand why you think people with nut allergies are more likely to have EpiPens?
Heaps of children (and adults) carry EpiPens for all sorts of allergies
My children are anaphylactic to milk, egg, kiwi, lentils

I am anaphylactic to lentils and seafood.

Some people have intolerances to lactose in milk (for instance) but that's not the same as having an anaphylactic reaction to the milk proteins

I have a nut allergy and can eat pine nuts and pesto.

It's a constant risk but it's nice to think kids can go to school without worrying they might die that day!

Pine nuts are seeds so this is a non issue. Plenty of brands don’t contain cashews - and plenty of parents make their own pesto!

It's so stressful isn't it! Pine nuts didn't used to be common at all but they are on the increase. DH bought a pizza with them on by accident - thankfully my son re-read the ingredients & caught it before I ate any.

Once had a meal out & when the chutney arrived it had bloody pine nuts in it! Probably the only time I hadn't let them know about my allergy lol. Typical.

Thank you you were right to post I’d have never known otherwise