To think this 'nut free policy' is OTT for a school

[MerryMarigold]

So, letter home about next term's 'nut free' policy and I think it's a bit extreme but tell me what you think. In packed lunches (I will have 3 having packed lunch next year), we are not allowed to include:

• Fruit and cereal bars which contain nuts
• Sesame seed rolls
• Nutella
• Peanut butter
• Cakes made with nuts
• Muesli bars
• Baklava/ Nougat/ Turkish Delight
• Any packets of nuts

I would assume we are not allowed to give them pistachios in a Tupperware box either.

Anyway, my point is that how can they police it this closely? I know some kids cannot come into ANY contact with nuts, but for example, my kids would have nuts in granola at breakfast and probably not always wash their hands before school (if they remembered to clean their teeth when they first get up). I also refuse to check the ingredient list of everything I put into a packed lunch for 3 children so there are bound to be nuts in something they end up having.

Nuts are very healthy and nutritious, so we basically need to swap nut based products for something less healthy. I am most upset about the Muesli bars and no cakes made with nuts. Ds1 is a major food-refuser. He has never managed school dinners and food at home is an issue too. He nearly always has a muesli bar in his lunch, which I suppose I will need to substitute with biscuits. And sometimes I would include cakes made with nuts just to up his nutrition at lunchtime a bit. He doesn't like any form of meat, fish or cheese in his sandwiches.

I do sympathise that there are (a very few) people who have a 'life threatening reaction to nut products' (quoted on the 'nut free policy' letter). However, I would assume they do carry an epi-pen as it is impossible to create a completely nut free environment in a large school of children who are eating nuts at least at home. So, in reality it is not life threatening unless there is a child who has an unknown severe nut allergy. I would even be compassionate if it was stated that a child (without mentioning names) had had a reaction several times in school, but I very much doubt a child has reacted at school, and there may not even be a child with a severe nut allergy, so this is just scare mongering really.

SO, I do need to feel more positive about this and the extra work it will cause me, the extra moaning from my child and the reduction in nutrition. Please tell me off gently! I've had a bad night with not much sleep though, so please bear with me.

I'm obviously a totally selfish fucker because if my DS's school implemented a nut ban I would have zero hesitation in supporting it 100% because I would not want to contemplate the guilt and angst of being responsible for causing the hospitalisation and potential death of another person (adult or child) - just because reading labels was a bit annoying .

I think a sensible discussion does need to be had. this isn't about nuts it is about all food allergies or other allergies when exposure creates anaphylactic shock.

for me, I am constantly told "really, I thought it was only nuts that caused that!" so definitely there needs to be much more education about this.

the problem with nut bans is that you are then almost wholly reliant on other peoples parents and children not to bring nuts into schools. if my child had been allergic to nuts knowing how food allergy has affected my life, I really wouldn't trust this. not at all. I think simply banning nuts can make staff complacent. I would want my child to eat their packed lunch somewhere else supervised. not in the general hall. I would also want everyone in the school to know that it was my child who had this allergy and I would want to introduce the information to them of the effects in an age appropriate way. because, they will come across others like this in the future and the education needs to start early.

if you banned nuts in my school it would have had bugger all effect on my anaphylactic risk. should my parents have insisted that they ban blue cheese? you could have a situation where there are several very allergic children all with different triggers. is it really reasonable not only to ban all the triggers but also to rely on all parents adhering to that ban?

as I said above. I just wouldn't feel confident and wouldn't trust people. not because I think that they are being deliberately arsey but because some people struggle with labels and if they had to avoid nuts, blue cheese, peppers and whatever else it starts to become a greater and greater risk to my child.

and yes, I know exactly what anaphylactic shock is like. its bloody scary not so much at the time because I am generally out of it with in a few minutes and have no idea what is going on , but afterwards dealing with the health consequences and also the people involved in the crisis for whom this can have a big effect.

Children do and will follow rules, Penguin. With the greatest respect it's the parents who are often the PITA.
Hope the little boy was OK

Imagine if it were every day!
I totally see your point but I just don't understand how you can ever make an environment totally safe for a child who is allergic to nuts. I suppose it is just about minimise the risk.

Does anyone know if these children grow out of the allergy eventually or does it stay with them for life?

I was just thinking how hard it must be to use public transport, take a flight or eat out without there being a blanket ban against nuts everywhere.

YABU. It looks very much like the policy DS's school has always had. It looks like a bit of a ballache to start with but it's manageable after a bit of initial checking.

It did become a bit harder for us after DH had to stop eating gluten. Many of the best GF cake recipes use ground almonds so DS can't take cakes to school any more.

But, as with DH's restrictive diet, it's worth a bit of hassle to make sure someone doesn't get ill.

What is the advice from Allergy UK then?
Curious to see how they handle that sort of situation and why they think it's not a good idea (is it because then people aren't exercising as much caution as they would in any other place?)

This thread is useful in educating people.

Some people don't understand how things change in the world.

Yes, when we are young nut allergy wasn't as prevalent, that does not mean it is not real now.

It is a bit like the smoking ban. When I was young everyone smoked around non-smokers and kids, essentially nobody could be bothered to not-smoke as people just had to put up with it. Only when links to cancer were scientifically proven, did smoking get banned in public places.

It now seems unthinkable that anyone would smoke in the middle of a kids' party (1970s style )

It will hopefully soon be unthinkable that people think it normal and necessary to take nuts to school.

The story about the child who was disabled after a stupid parent put nuts in her child's cake is shocking and sad. Did they ever learn it was their fault?

How selfish.

It takes a split second for a child to put something in their mouth, my DS constantly shares his food at school "because its kind" despite being told not to, do you think they should have a dedicated midday supervisor sitting next to them for their entire lunch just so your child can have a muesli bar, which are full of sugar and aren't particularly healthy anyway?

My son and dh have nut and seed allergies and those who believe there should be nut free school are ignorant.
The Anaphylaxis society does not recommend nut bans in school at all and there was research done in canada (i think) comparing the number of reactions in schools with a nut ban and those without and there was no difference or i think there was less reactions where there was no nut ban. article here

And why ban peanut butter and sesame seed rolls and not humous really makes no sense at all

Xpost with a lot of people. I have my answer :)

The Allergy UK link was posted upthread, mammouth.

I am in Canada, and schools here are universally nut-free. It must be just so difficult for the families with allergies. I take the view that if I was taking care of a child with an allergy or they were over for a play date, I wouldn't have my kids eating nuts around them, I suppose the teachers feel the same way. I'm sure a few of the teachers have had to deal with epic-pens and ambulances and know what sort of a scary situation it is
.
But I guess what is doesn't address is those people who have just as severe allergies to other things, although I guess they take the view that it is less prevalent. A woman who's children both had severe nut allergies said that labelling for tree nuts was not as good as that for peanuts either.

My sister's children in the states have a compromise and sit the kids at the "allergy table" where the older ones with allergies sit with the younger ones with allergies.

I fully agree about the sesame seeds rolls. That doesn't make sense.

I'm wondering if the nut free ban had more to do with how to protect children wo it costing too much type of intervention.
So let's place the responsibility on other people so we don't have to provide X and y?

I don't know why people whinge about this.
It is a tiny adjustment that can save a child's life

Exactly

With the greatest respect it's the parents who are often the PITA

I agree.

Years ago it was thought children ' choked' on nuts so you didn't give them nuts until after 3 years of age. It was actually children having anaphylactic shocks and struggling to breathe NOT choking, so people have always been allergic.

They way food is manufactured plays a big part in exposure to nuts too, years ago people cooked everything from scratch and you were only exposed to nuts at Christmas usually. So, people were allergic but not necessarily having reactions as they weren't exposed to nuts.

Epi pens aren't magic, and sometimes don't work.

It's easy to buy bars without nuts.

Your child won't die if they don't have nuts, mine might if he does

Are you saying schools become nut-free in order to shirk their responsibilities to safeguard children, mammouth?

The school is banning nuts, it hardly takes a genius to work out its because there is a child with a nut allergy, so YABU to expect that to be spelled out to you.

A child of primary school age with a nut allergy can not be trusted 100% to follow the rules to reduce risk of contact with nuts and could die if exposed.

ds has at least one child with nut allergies in his primary school, we only know because she is the younger sister of a classmate so we hear a little from ds on the difficulties they have. She is in P3, has an epipen which is used, but still has been blue lighted from school to hospital at least 3 times so far. Terrifying for her parents that their child might die each and every time it happens.

YANB a bit U, YABVVU. I am no expert on nut allergies but know, as I am sure most people do, that anaphylactic shock can be deadly. If you are not sure of the risks, why the school are imposing a nut ban or think its OTT a quick google on the risks of nut allergies would help you before displaying your ignorance and perhaps give you a little dose of compassion for someone who needs your help to keep their child a little bit safer in primary school.

Its the false sense of security thing that is the important issue here. It is really easy to do it wrong - the coconut example and the Op's pistachio nut comment show this. I would still want some sort of physical separation during meal times between children. I would also want hand washing after lunch. If you are a parent of an allergic child then I think you should be open and honest about it. you are expecting other people to change their habits so really it is important that you do your bit as well and tell people. as for bullying due to allergies is that not a thing of the past nowadays and couldn't that be overcome with some good age appropriate information and teaching?

I haven't outgrown my allergies at all. Certain situations - the cheeseboard at the buffet table and Christmas are an anxious time. if I am eating out, I usually ring first and let them know to make sure that they can accommodate me or I just try and avoid obvious cheese things on the menu as well as telling the waiting staff.

I don't see the issue with the nut ban. My DD has food issues (ASD) and although nuts would be a great snack for her, it is not the end of the world. Her best friend in infants had a suspected nut allergy (her mum had a severe nut allergy) and we would make sure no nut products around when she was over, and that DD washed her hands and face if she had eaten peanut butter in the morning.

The only thing that nearly caught me out was pesto, due to the pine nuts.

However, I have heard of other parents expressing shock that nutella has nuts in it... so suspect schools need to provide a comprehensive list.

I have personal experience of severe nut allergy and don't support blanket bans, except in enclosed spaces with recycled air, because they tend to replace rather than reinforce normal vigilance.

I don't think there is any evidence bans make allergic people safer, and they place an unnecessary burden on other families.

Or perhaps schools are trying to encourage a sense of community and responsibility in their children, rather than the 'I'm all right Jack, so fuck you' attitude of so many adults in the real world.