Pesto in lunch box - nut free school

I make homemade pesto for the kids, and I sometimes use sunflower seeds if I have no pine nuts. Why don’t you ask her exactly what’s in it?

Sorry, just reread your post. Shes aware of potential allergy risks. I would tell them then. She should have more sense!

A croissant is healthy? Whenever we eat one the MN roast chicken lasts 2 weeks! 🤣

Please report to the school so they can keep an eye out. Cheaper pesto made with nuts rather than pine nuts and definitely not suitable for a nut free school.

My daughter can't serve crunchy nut cornflakes to me if I'm not well enough to get breakfast (I'm post surgery not lazy!) . She will need her puffer and will itch like hell. My worry would be that if the children are close by the nuts might effect them.

Yes report. A lot of pestos these days contain cashew so very dangerous.

did she make it herself? I’ve made pesto plenty of times without pine nuts as I’ve forgotten to buy them

Cashew nuts are definitely included as nuts for the purposes of allergies, food labelling etc!

Most supermarket pesto contains cashew nuts as it's cheaper

Despite what a lot of posters are saying, some pesto is actually made with cashew nuts and my son is severely allergic to cashews. It would be good to remind your friend of this or at least give the school a quiet nudge

The vast majority of store-bought pestos these days are made with cashews, not pine nuts, and cashew nut allergy is one of the most severe and often results in anaphylaxis. Big no-no for a nut free school.

My DD is severely allergic to pine nuts, cashew and peanuts. I can't eat nuts near her.
She's asthmatic and has eczema.

She can eat almonds and hazelnuts. Why I have no idea.

Sadly there are people who don't take allergies seriously. Unless they suffer from a severe allergy themselves or have family with allergic reactions they often dismiss it as not my circus. When I apologetically ask people to keep their dog from jumping on me or licking me due to my allergy, or I explain I can't pet dogs, I often get the side eye as if I'd insulted them or they simply ignore my request. It's nothing like a nut allergy but sadly many people don't want to know even when as in a nut allergy it could be extremely serious.

I am aware but it’s annoying as hell 😂

Its this threads cancel the cheque

More children have died from dairy allergy than nuts in the last 30 years....

I also have a cousin who has a severe nut allergy (similar to son and other cuz - anaphalaxis) so im very aware you cant cut out every allergen. It's genuinely better for everyone to know what's in their food so others can act accordingly

Actually most pesto contains nuts like cashew alongside very, very expensive pine nuts.
Finding a truly nut free pesto isn't easy!

Colleague with known nut allergy was offered, and took, a mushroom from another colleagues starter at a company dinner, unaware there was pesto in the dish. Severe reaction, ambulance treatment, taken to hospital, had ongoing gut problems for weeks after. Absolutely not worth the risk; if the friend isn't interested in keeping another child safe then inform the school.

@whereIsMyJumper - presumably you are aware that many, many (many) people just jump to add their comments rather than read the full thread?

Wrong person quoted. My apologies.

Please report, as others have said some pesto can contain cashew nuts and even as an aside pine nuts can still cause a reaction. The entitlement of some people out of sheer selfishness is just mind blowing 🤯

Peanuts are a legume.

That said, I would never have allowed a lunch box with potential fatal allergen.

So how do we protect children with dairy, egg, banana etc etc allergies?

One of the biggest danger points is when young people start managing the risk themselves as they get older. They havent had the practise and are used to a nut free world so dont take it seriously. All the official advice and research is against nut bans.

Really? You don’t say! This is BRAND NEW information 🤦‍♀️

Also, we have learned several times over that pesto has cashew nuts in and that pine nuts are seeds 😂

I’m allergic to all nuts, pine nuts and coconut with pine nuts and coconut being my worst reactions. I can’t even let my kids eat pesto and come near me as it’s such a bad reaction.

My son was allergic to cashews and he could suffer uncomfortable reaction (hives etc) if simply touching a keyboard that I had touched earlier in the day while eating cashews. We did not have nuts in the house normally and stopped even having them as snacks after that. It's very distressing to watch let alone be the affected child. If he ingested them he would need adrenalin promptly, trip to hospital and hours of observation before safe to go home. Without this he would run risk of his throat closing up and being unable to breath as his body goes into shock. You are presumably aware of the death of physically fit adults with nut allergies. It's especially dangerous if you don't realise nuts are present .... Because they are not supposed to be (as 'nut free school').

Note that the Anaphalaxis campaign does appear to favour but free in infant school as the children face more risk of cross contamination. See this explanation by the anaphylaxis campaign. https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/full-statement-regarding-ide-primary-schools-nut-free-environment-policy/

problem is that peanuts aren't nuts either, they are legumes!