Nuts on planes

[Bookmonster123]

Hi

I am due to fly with DS soon, first time he’s been on a plane. DS has a peanut allergy, has epi pens prescribed. What’s the protocol about nuts during the flight.

Do I tell the airline at booking, check in or on the day? Do they always accommodate requests not to eat nuts during the flight?

Thanks

I mean, I can...? I'm a STEM academic and so my expertise is equally relevant, but I imagine they're already well aware of the flaws in their own work. Most scientists are.

The article reviews well controlled studies that demonstrate airborne allergies, but says there's little evidence that airborne contamination exists on planes. It does not disprove airborne contamination on planes.

It clearly states that data on in-air incidence is scattered, because it 'needs to be interpreted in the context of the vast majority of food allergic individuals taking a number of significant precautions when travelling, ranging from avoiding flying in the first place, to wiping down their seat area and bringing their own food to eat during the flight. This is likely to impact upon actual risk' and that food bans 'give a false sense of reassurance, as well as increase the risk of confrontation amongst passengers and with cabin staff.' thus on balance, are not supported by the study.

It says precisely what I stated - there's no positive control group. The reason for not supporting food bans is because of a false reassurance and increased confrontation. Also makes reference to other allergens being more challenging. It does support buffer zones, because they 'provide important reassurance to food-allergic passengers, and avoid the scenario whereby a food-allergic passenger is sat next to another passenger consuming the allergen they are allergic to'.

But don't let me knock you off your high horse, you must be enjoying the view 👌

Boots sell their whole chilled range at the larger airports in the UK. Plenty of other food outlets available in most places.

You can also take food through security. Jelly and yoghurt under 100ml per pot would be fine. OP could carry several small pots with no issue.

@mitogoshi I just wish these requests were sent to other passengers 24 hours ahead of flying.

Exactly, it's really not difficult. Or have something that flags when you check in digitally. Warning this is a nut free flight etc. If you have prepared a snack especially for a long flight and particularly if you have other food intolerances, being told on board is too late. Its basically asking someone to not eat for a very long stretch. Which a reasonable person would still do of course, but I can see the frustration it must cause. I also don't agree with an outright ban on items just in case, then everything would be banned eventually. Just flight by flight would be fairest.

Allergy UK actively recommends against nut free schools https://www.allergyuk.org/living-with-an-allergy/at-school/for-schools/

"Many parents and schools try to implement a ‘ban’ certain foods (such as nuts) from school premises. However, we do not recommend a ‘no nut policy’ in schools, as it is not possible to guarantee and enforce a nut free zone, as staff cannot monitor all lunches and snacks brought in from home. A free from environment creates a false sense of security and does not safely prepare children for environments where nuts may be present. School would need to consider other children with different food allergies and it is not practical to restrict them all. Therefore, school’s should have procedures in place to minimise risk of reaction via cross contamination".

I was on an easyJet flight recently and there was an announcement at the start that someone on board had a severe not allergy and they would not be serving nuts and they asked that no one else ate them either. I had a snack bar made with nuts in my bag that I was going to eat but obviously after hearing the announcement I didn't. Kind of shocked that anyone would press on regardless.

I do wish that airlines would tell customers at check in - at the latest - so that if they can buy an alternative snack in the airport.

Asking people to choose between eating their nut-containing snack, and going hungry for the rest of the flight is really asking for trouble.

Understandably, a lot of people will be narked at then being presented with some extremely overpriced snacks from the trolley. This is especially problematic for people with other food allergies and other dietary restrictions, who may find that there is nothing on board that they can even purchase, even at extortionate rates.

Imagine living in a world where you equate processed foods with LITERAL CRACK and you have to eat nuts or you'll go blind and your leg'll fall off, rather than just eating a fucking boiled egg or a bit of fruit or veg. Some people are just solid gold nutjobs (boom boom) 😂

@VeryGoodVeryNiceChickenNugget again, I’ll reiterate, that regardless of your dietary restrictions I simply don’t believe that nuts are your only snack option. I have neither the time nor interest to do the research for you but there must be options. And your preference to not eat UPF most certainly does not trump another person’s life threatening condition.

This is deadly "advice." Air is recirculated on planes and people are very squished together.

I've been on a flight where the cabin crew made sure no on within five or so rows of a person with an allergy was eating peanuts, it's a normal thing.

I agree with this in principle, however a lot of people check in online. Not sure when they could be told.

It caused me an issue recently because I couldn't eat the snack bar with nuts and I struggle with my blood sugar levels.

I don't eat any bread.

I eat meat, fish, salad, appropriate veg, nuts, dairy.

But I don't eat processed or ultra processed food.

So I'm not carrying a salad around with me to go off or limp. I'm not carrying a pot of cubed cheese and chicken around with me, because it will go warm, sweaty then off.

I will continue to carry bags of dry, non easily perishable nuts with me, and consuming them.

I didn’t make the nut free policy! It’s just an observation that most are! I’m not affected as my daughter has a milk allergy! I’m just saying awareness of allergies is more widespread these days.

I've never been on a flight where there's been an announcement on not eating nuts, but from the posts here it does seem like it's mostly short haul flights.

Most long haul flights serve food that contains nuts as part of their food service, whether that's in cooked meals, peanuts etc.

Would you eat them if a flight has been announced nut-free because of a person with allergies ?

I mean, I carry food onto planes in a wee coolbag and they don't go off, or warm, limp or sweaty.

You do also have loads of options that aren't perishable, you're just a selfish person who happens to have an eating disorder, and diabetes. I hope you get the help you need, and learn how to actually treat hypos or your leg really will drop off.

Who eats fish on a plane anyways?????

My favourite are Trek bars, if you’re able to have gf oats

Require that anyone with a severe airborne allergy declares it during the booking process, and advise that they need to book at least a week in advance.

Then there's lots of points people can be told.

During online check-in.

At bag drop.

Via an extra email delivered 24 hours+ before the flight.

Alongside tannoy announcements for the flight - "The 1020 flight to Singapore will depart from gate 26. Please be aware that this is a nut free flight. We ask you to refrain from eating any nuts on board, and recommend purchasing nut free snacks before boarding".

And then a final reminder once people have boarded - but this shouldn't be the first people are hearing of it.

Ah, so now in order to facilitate group A everybody in group B has to troop off to the Docs to get a letter allowing them to take yoghurt >100 mi airside….

(Though TBF with the new scanners, it they ever come in, that might not be a factor).

The lack of understanding about allergies and the use of Epipens on this thread astounds me. An Epipen isn’t guaranteed to stop an anaphylactic reaction so if someone on board a plane has such a reaction, then the plane needs to make an emergency landing. Allergy suffers carry two epipens so they have a back up but even this isn’t always enough. Just read the tragic case that resulted in Natasha’s Law.
We were on a flight where a 6 year old inadvertently came into contact with his allergen. The parent had two epipens but the crew were concerned about whether further injections were needed. Fortunately, we had epipens for my DC so the crew had those to use under medical guidance if needed. An Emergency landing was required and the plane was met by an ambulance on the tarmac and paramedics rushed on to the plane. Thankfully the boy was fine.

I'm telling this story so hopefully those uneducated and/or selfish posters understand just how serious anaphylactic reactions can be.

So the expectation is maybe >400 passengers on a flight firstly get bombarded with comms various saying “no nuts”. When they board the reality is quite possibly, Long Haul, sitting on something like an A380, spread over maybe four cabins and umpteen hundred cubic feet of volume, and yet despite the wide open..well maybe not quite, spaces…they will still all have to tailor their dietary requirements for the sake of perhaps one passenger…..

Is it just me finding that idea slightly extreme?

I’m sure there’s a reasonable middle road here somewhere, and it’s probably something close to the procedures many airlines already use…a ”buffer zone” around the individual who has the allergy and a polite request for passengers in that cabin (or maybe the whole aircraft if it’s a small one) to refrain from eating nuts.

It’s ok as long as your ok that’s all that matters eh, I mean you comfort is a billion times more important than others lives. If Karma is real you will develop a late onset anaphylactic reaction to nuts, it happens more often than you think.

Can people just really not eat nuts for a few hours? If someone said to me please don’t have any dairy for a few hours or someone will die, I would be fine with that why aren’t others ok with similar requests?

I have been on several flights were we have been told after we are all seated for people to refrain from eating nuts on flight due to an allergy
Never once been told in advance

Bit bloody late when all I have has nuts and have already been eating them

I am making this comment as someone with a number of food allergies which result in anaphylactic shock, use of an epipen etc. Nuts isnt one of them but blue cheese/brie is. so if its around, on surfaces, air borne particles etc I can have a problem. You cannot ban one food like nuts and not ban all the other foods on a flight that could give other people with allergies the same sort of reaction. why single out nuts? I find travel scary because of my allergies but I try to take precautions like letting the airline know when I book, speaking to the people either side of me if they have their own snacks with them just to make them aware, taking masks and wipes with me to ensure that there are no contact surface mistakes. Its a pain in the arse but I was born like this.

so if you ban nuts why not blue cheese, dairy, bread or anyone other of the allergens.