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AIBU?

School rules and nuts

371 replies

Bagsalot · 25/10/2018 21:16

My daughter is 11 yesterday was her birthday. She took an asda tray bake to school with her. She wasn't allowed to share it as apparently some where on the box it says may contain nuts. This has never been an issue before. Today an email came out stating no nuts or seeds allowed in school including lunchboxes. My daughter's in year 6 has been at the school since nursery age 2, this has never been mentioned. I've asked to see the risk assessment. I feel it's an unreasonable policy but possibly I'm being unreasonable

OP posts:

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BakedBeans47 · 27/10/2018 20:26

Sorry to go OT a bit but does anyone know if egg allergies can be airborne? We flew a few years ago and had bought meal deals for the flight and my son bought egg sandwiches, on the plane there was an announcement that no one could eat egg as a passenger had an egg allergy. Obviously he didn’t have them but I must admit I wondered if there was really a risk of someone taking ill if someone had cracked open a pack of egg mayo sandwiches on the plane

bruffin · 27/10/2018 20:28

Mist girl, i also know some who has anaphylaxic reaction to cheese, they are not allergic to dairy but penicillin. They had a cheese sandwich on a plane and it must have have had some mould and caused a reaction.

Mistigri · 27/10/2018 20:39

@BakedBeans47 actually there is not much evidence at all for allergic reactions to airborne food proteins - though allergy is very complex and nothing is impossible.

Peanut smell makes me feel ill but it's an anxiety reaction not an allergic reaction. For many years I thought I was allergic to sesame because tahini smells like peanut (to me) and the smell makes me feel ill - but in fact I can eat sesame seeds quite safely even though I have other seed allergies. Egg is a very distinctive smell too.

BakedBeans47 · 27/10/2018 20:46

That makes sense Misti thank you. I also think tahini (on its own not in houmous) smells like peanut butter. No allergies.

ladydickisathingapparently · 27/10/2018 20:47

Mistigri for kids with an actual history of anaphylaxis? Absolutely!

Andro · 27/10/2018 20:53

BakedBeans47 - powdered egg could certainly go airborne, not sure about other kinds but given the messed up way my own allergy triggers I wouldn't rule it out.

bruffin · 27/10/2018 20:55

The protein has to get into the air and float and then cause the mucus membrane to cause anaphylaxis.
Proteins are too heavy for this and dont float in the air. The only way it can really happen in the cooking stage with the proteins propelled by steam or there is a theory with peanuts. It has to be many many packets in a tiny enclosed space.
I think they tested a school and found no traces of peanuts in the air even though there were traces on surfaces
misti is right psychosomatic reactions have been found in people who think they have airbourne reactions.

bruffin · 27/10/2018 21:15

this is a good article

Shitlandpony · 27/10/2018 21:35

Who had such a severe reaction to dairy. How on earth can you cope
With that, surely you can never go anywhere public?

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/09/19/boy-13-dairy-allergy-died-schoolmate-threw-cheese-t-shirt-inquest/

VerbeenaBeeks · 27/10/2018 21:52

@Iaimtomisbehave1
An airborne egg allergy is almost unheard of. It's so so rare

I've got one of those. If anyone starts frying eggs in the same room as me, my eyes will swell up and close.
It's scary. They exist.Not a huge leap of the imagination to realise that if it can happen to throats and airways. They exist.
So much ignorance around allergies and intolerances, people really need to know.

VerbeenaBeeks · 27/10/2018 22:00

The reason I think egg isn't usually banned in schools is because in order for the airborne allergy reaction to kick in, it's usually to do with the enzymes/proteins in the food changing.
Which would explain how for eg I could happily sit next to someone eating a boiled egg sandwich but couldn't be in the same room as someone frying or poaching an egg.
Airborne nut allergies can be triggered by someone literally just opening a packet of dry roasted near you.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 27/10/2018 22:14

I know it was a few posts ago, but the person saying that cashews aren't nuts was actually correct, they are drupes.

bruffin · 27/10/2018 22:14

Airborne nut allergies can be triggered by someone literally just opening a packet of dry roasted near you.

As explained anove that is a myth. The particles are too heavy to fly.

VerbeenaBeeks · 27/10/2018 22:17

As explained anove that is a myth. The particles are too heavy to fly

Airborne nut allergies exist. Not sure why people insist that they don't.
You don't even have to eat nuts yourself to be affected, just near someone else eating them.

VerbeenaBeeks · 27/10/2018 22:19

What about airborne egg allergies then? First hand experience of them, they're awful.
Do you believe in them?

VerbeenaBeeks · 27/10/2018 22:22

Sorry to go OT a bit but does anyone know if egg allergies can be airborne? We flew a few years ago and had bought meal deals for the flight and my son bought egg sandwiches, on the plane there was an announcement that no one could eat egg as a passenger had an egg allergy.

Just seen this, they definitely can be. I have one. I don't react to somebody eating an egg sandwich near me, but I do if I'm anywhere near one being cooked such as fried or poached.
Something to do with the protein changing.

BakedBeans47 · 27/10/2018 22:26

Thanks all for the info

sadwithkiddies · 27/10/2018 22:46

My kids school do not have a nut ban - thank goodness! Dd is dairy, soya, egg, tomato & citrus allergy. I'd be pretty annoyed if we banned nuts which no child in her class is allergic to - but allowed dairy which 3 children in her class cannot eat 🙄

Cherrysherbet · 27/10/2018 23:37

My 16 yr old ds has a severe allergy to all types of nuts. When he was in primary school, and first diagnosed, his school were fantastic. They sent a letter out telling parents not to send nut products into school, and I felt they did everything possible to keep him safe. At his secondary school, there is not a nut ban, and it really worries me. He is very sensible, and well aware of his allergy, but it really is a mine field.

I strongly feel that manufacturers should not be allowed to say 'may contain nuts/traces of nuts' if they don't. It's misleading, and makes life extremely difficult for sufferers. You would never see 'may contain traces of meat' on a vegetarian sandwich, would you? I'm vegetarian, and feel I know for sure that I am definitely eating a meat free product....or am I? Are manufacturers so sloppy about food production, that they really can't tell exactly what has gone into our food??? Or are they just trying to cover their arses? We have a right to know for sure. The law MUST change.
'MAY CONTAIN NUTS' on labels should not be allowed by law. We need guarantees to keep our children safe.
On a side note....op please educate yourself about life threatening allergies. Asking for a risk assessment will just make you look like a complete knob. Your take on this is so out of whack, it would be funny if it wasn't so fucking serious.

mathanxiety · 28/10/2018 01:03

Why do you think most anaphylaxis deaths occur among teens and young adults?

Because they are exposed to allergens in environments that cannot be controlled in even the fairly limited but overall successful way that schools can control them.

I doubt it's because they are suddenly throwing caution to the winds and sharing food. It's because they are exposed in restaurants and at university and at work to allergens.

mathanxiety · 28/10/2018 05:04

You would never see 'may contain traces of meat' on a vegetarian sandwich, would you? I'm vegetarian, and feel I know for sure that I am definitely eating a meat free product....or am I? Are manufacturers so sloppy about food production, that they really can't tell exactly what has gone into our food??? Or are they just trying to cover their arses? We have a right to know for sure.

You would think...

www.livescience.com/55459-fda-acceptable-food-defects.html
Allowable limits on 'defects' in packaged food in the US.

Booie09 · 28/10/2018 06:01

Anything that says it has nuts in is not allowed in our school...to ban everything that says may contain nuts would be near impossible! But the amount of parents that have sent nutella bars and spread into school is unbelievable and when told they have replied they didn't realise!! The clue is in the bat NUTella!!

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Jimdandy · 28/10/2018 06:46

@Cherrysherbet

Apparently a lot of food manufacturing machines are oiled with peanut oil. Apparently that’s one of the contributing reasons as to why nut allergies are so common now (as well as better testing and understanding etc) and why they print it on their packaging.

GinIsIn · 28/10/2018 07:02

At my niece’s school there wasn’t a nut ban for all classes, just the class of the allergy sufferer....

Someone in my niece’s class had peanut butter brownies for their birthday. They were sticky and lots of the children decided to go and wash their hands afterwards. Unfortunately the child from the other class needed the loo not long afterwards and must have touched a door handle or tap one of the other children had. Luckily she had an epipen and managed to stumble out into the corridor, and the staff knew how to use it. Luckily the primary school was very near to a large hospital.

Why would you want someone to rely upon luck to keep their child safe?

LL83 · 28/10/2018 07:23

Our nut free school doesn't ban may contains for children to have for themselves, but it does ban cakes for sharing.
My DD eats may contains at home although my son has peanut allergy. Risk of cross contamination from a may contain is tiny.

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