to be annoyed with the school about packed lunch police

[NYCorLondon]

My dd is in reception and I think the school are being OTT about policing the packed lunches. We got the guidelines before school started which seemed pretty reasonable - not too much junk, no peanuts etc.

So one day I send her in with three small squares of good quality dark chocolate. To my mind that's far better than the cakes that they serve for dessert every day with school dinners. The teachers called me in at the end of the day and I was told not to put chocolate in school lunches. I wanted to say something but didn't want to make trouble so just nodded and agreed.

The other day she had something with sesame seeds on it (I was away that day). DH was called in when he picked up and told that sesame seeds are not allowed (not written anywhere). They had let dd eat it but she'd had to wash her hands and tongue(!) afterwards. DH forgot to tell me about this incident and I sent her in today with a seeded bagel. So this time the dinner ladies took away her sandwich and gave her a plain white roll instead.

I'm feeling really annoyed with the school and thinking about complaining tomorrow. If they've changed the guidelines, then why haven't they sent anything home? And taking away a 4 year old's lunch is really not on imho!

Out of interest, are sesame seed reactions airborne??? Is a child really at risk from my dd eating a sandwich with seeded bread???? Or is the school being totally OTT?? It'll help me get some perspective on this!

Thanks!

This thread has reminded me to be grateful that we don't live in the UK! I will be forever grateful that my dcs can take a peanut butter and jam sandwich to school, and will even stop complaining that they have been Americanised by school and now insist it is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

It sounds as if things have gone WAY over the top. Talk about kids food issues, what happened to enjoying meals?

I will look at this thread every time I feel homesick and wish that my dcs could walk to school on their own instead of being carted off by the driver every morning (they probably wouldn't be allowed to do that though, would they?)

giving kids food issues, I mean

imagine my face when

Imagine my face when I found the sandwiches!

No pork (life in the Middle East) no nuts, and only one treat type thing.

Ds has a boy in his class with a severe allergy to fish and shellfish. so I have forgone his usual tuna sandwiches for cheese.

It's not that difficult .... i recycle fruit that doesn't get eaten or if they don't have time ( no proper lunch break theystarr at 7.30 am and have 3 breaks during the day of 20 mins instead and go home at 2.15.

richpersoninapoorpersonsbody: just because they have no sugar in them (surely there is therefore going to be some sort of artificial sweetener which is worse!) doesn't mean they are nutritionally balanced.

They use fruit sugar

But sugar is sugar, fruit or refined, it is still sugar. Ok fruit sugar is slightly sweeter so they will use a little less of it.....I guess we should just be thankful they aren't using an artificial sweetner.

Who ever commented the cake is vile is right! it isnt moist and sticks in your mouth - really it should all be turned into pudding with custard!

The whole what if they touch/lick another child could equally apply 1st thing in the morning ..... Peanut butter on toast anyone? I hate how we as a society have stopped using common sense as the default position and rely heavily on checklist H&S policies which are alarmist and overbearing (usually completely unnecessarily)
I have a really good friend who has a serious peanut allergy ... Funnily enough her worst nut related incident was her car being hit by a KP nuts truck!! We couldn't stop laughing after that one even tho her car was a write off
I am not looking forward to the whole school lunch fuss - nursery seems to be overall quite good although sometimes their food combinations are a bit

"Just this week, researchers at the University of Iowa announced the results of a study that shows a fructose (a common type of simple sugar) allergy might be responsible for many cases of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other unexplained gastrointestinal complaints."
And the benefits of fructose are?.....

I read the very sad story of a child who mistakenly consumed sesame seeds on summer camp. He died.people are very relaxed about other children's allergies. The school has to protect these children.
But they should have been clearer in the guidelines.

On the same board I read of the above tragedy, over 20 more cases of deaths of children from food allergies were reported. Imagine if your child had this severe allergy?would you be relaxed about other students bringing food items that could cause them to die?

I have no problem whatsoever with a blanket ban on peanuts and anything else if there is a child with an allergy in the school.

If DSs go on a trip I will ask if PB sandwiches are allowed (I mean trips with his groups, not school).

He really can survive without them.

I never put sweets and stuff in the DC's lunchboxes but I never did understand the hysteria about a fairy cake when the rest of the school were yamming on cake and custard

I worked as a TA for a while and I was sometimes really at the odd lunchbox. Stuffed full of mars bars and crap and nothing else.

These didnt tend to be the 'chavvy' kids BTW. They were usually the kids that got whatever they wanted, whatever the situation.

I dont think the lunchbox police have much affect on this sort of situation. But we do need guidelines. They dont hurt.

But they seem so mixed up. You cant have crisps because they are unhealthy but you can have a cereal bar because it is healthy (although it has choc chips and half a pound of sugar in it).

DS2 has school dinners but DSs 3 & 4 will be having packed lunches and I am dreading it.

Ha ha ha re the raw sausages

I bet the lunch lady still talks about the poor little scrap who got sent in with nowt but a few raw bangers in her lunchbox

cutandpaster... the raw sausages

Don't children with allergies carry those pen things these days?

(Allergy aside) I really couldn't give a rats arse about what the teachers think of the contents of my dcs lunch boxes, they have cheese sandwiches, bag of crisps, cheese string, a biscuit and a piece of fruit. I think that's fine.

I am worried I'm starving DS now :( He gets 1/2 a sandwich (so one piece of wholemeal bread) with philly and marmite, an apple and a frube. He is a very slow eater though

And you gave him a decent burial at Christmas terribletriplets.

He must have felt cherished by your family. I think you did all you could

Yes they carry those "pen things" but Epi pens are for emergency use and certainly not something that means its ok to be exposed to the allergen!

CristinadellaPizza - Sounds similar to my DD's lunch. I've tried giving her more but it was either coming home uneaten or given to her friends.

Epi pens, that's it, I couldn't remember the name.

An emergency is eating nuts/sesame seeds by accident, isn't that right?

If they stick to their own packed lunches there shouldn't be a problem.

A lot of people with allergies are triggered by it being in the atmosphere. So if someone with a nut allergy is sat in the sane room as someone eating nuts they could have a reaction - probably not as stong as if they ingested it but sill something to avoid if at all possible.

Thanks itsnearlysummer :)

Epi pens are for dire emergencies, not day to day stuff. The school should have sent home a note to all parents about the sesame seeds - I would ask them for clarification in writing about what the rules are.

I have not dared put anything remotely treat like in the lunch box but I agree that it is pudding-tastic on the school dinners menu. They get things like pasties and pies with potato wedges or chips and treacle sponge and custard for pudding.

That doesn't look like my idea of healthy eating

Personally I think the child with the allergy needs to to isolated during these eating times to cut down on exposure. I had a friend with a peanut allergy at school and she had to be careful about lots of different sorts of chocolate and biscuits bars as they contained peanut oil. It can be in the most surprising stuff. Also you would have to guard against any multigrain bread, hummus, tahini and soya products. A lot of these foods would be helpful in making up a healthier lunch and are essential for vegetarian good health. I think the case for the greater good could be considered here. Also somebody raised the issue of peanut butter for breakfast and the knock on effects. You can't guard against that.
There is a theory that gradual exposure is helpful to a lot of children in becoming less sensitive.
Also on the issue of fructose, latest scientific evidence has proved there is a link between fruit sugars and raised cholesterol rather than fat in the diet.

Sirzy, how does your sister manage to avoid nuts? School is only one aspect, how does she avoid ingesting nuts at a host of other places?