School rules and nuts

[Bagsalot]

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

Mistigri

But why? The risk assessment could very easily contain the confidential medical information. And what is she going to do once she has it? Insist the school adopts a policy common in another country, rather than the one the HT wants to go with, so her DD can share a tray bake? How ridiculous.

I am 50 and have just developed a but allergy having eaten nuts happily all my life.it is extremely terrifying

I find it weird Mistigri that you think it leads to compliance :s in uni I had a reaction to someone eating nuts in the same room as me because the room had the aircon on and it was stuffy.

It was supposed to be a nut free cohort... but I guess my reaction was my fault

Nearly every bakery product has "may contain nuts" because of cross contamination risks, banning is unreasonable imho, but if you have a classmate with allergies it's right to bring in a substitute. Our primary tried to ban haribo at one point because of gelatine but within the term the parents made this ridiculous decision overturned - sweets went out at home time so parents can remove if they didn't agree with them. By 11 kids need to know what they can eat.

You're only asking to make a point. You'll look like a dick and the policy won't change if you ask for it.

The nut free policy is standard in most primary schools these days, but I think the "nothing that may contain nuts" is a bit extreme, unless the item is being brought into a class with a child with major allergies who would react to airborne allergens.

I had a child with a peanut allergy in my class last year (I also have multiple nut allergies myself). When cakes were brought in for birthdays we would check the label, and if it didn't say "may contain nuts" we gave it to him; if it did say it we would give him a slice to take home, along with the box with the ingredients on, so his mum could make that decision. I would also let Mum know if it was something I would eat, since I'm allergic to peanuts too (and other nuts too). Everytime this happened, he would tell me the next day that his mum had let him eat it, and he was fine.

But his allergy was only if he ate products containing peanuts - he once sat next to a new EAL child who was eating something containing nuts at lunch time (obviously we got a translator and got that communicated to her parents as soon as we found out!) and didn't have a reaction. Obviously it would be a different story if the child had an airbourne allergy, or reacted to touching products containing nuts/being touched by a child who had just eaten it.

The May contain nuts ban is only due to sharing the food, they’re not going to use the ban for everything.

I think then the question is can someone get airborne transfer of nuts from a product that has been manufactured in a place where nuts are.
Banning products that contain nuts (and nuts not just peanuts) easy to enforce

Making sure a child with peanut allergy is not given anything which has may contain nuts easy

Banning anyone from bringing into the school anything that says may contain nuts seems overkill and not understanding so much has it on

Quartz. I'd imagine that is extremely rare. not knowing the child's details they are caring for its likely we can say the school is massively over reacting.

My dd has a nut allergy. She is lucky in the airbourne traces don't affect her. We eat may contain happily but we are fortunate. I realise not the same for all but I would say a child that reacts to may contain if they are not actually consuming the item would be an extremely severe case

I would not expect the child with the allergy to eat the item. But it seems a shame to refuse the others.

My dd has been to many parties where she can't eat the cake. She had to get used to that. It's a shame but babying her won't help. She needs to know for herself which food are safe so she can make choices when she is older and out alone.

^also have a brother with a severe nut allergy and he only has to smell peanuts to go in to anaphylaxis.
That is not medically possible^

@bruffin

Yes it is

Nuts contain volatile oils. People with severe allergies can react to these oils when a packet of nuts is opened and they are released into the atmosphere.

Some years ago I looked after a chikd who had a severe reaction after her grandmother opened a packet of almonds in the kitchen while she was in the room

The OP didn't bring in a product actively containing nuts, just one that may contain nuts i.e. the manufacturer is not willing to guarentee that the item has not been cross contaminated with trace ingredients. Generally may is a pretty useless piece of allergen advice. In the event of a severe allergy that is very easily triggered, it may be worth avoiding that risk at the cost of significantly restricting their diet, but at that level it is very much down to the discretion of individuals involved. Individuals might have multiple allergies and have to compromise on a low risk "may" in order to get a balanced diet. "Nut allergies" vary in the extent of the actual triggers, and how they are triggered. Advice works best when it is specific to the relevant needs, not generic and overzealous.

It's interesting to note that many of the YANBUs have come from posters with experiences with severe allergies.

I would not expect the child with the allergy to eat the item. But it seems a shame to refuse the others.

As a teacher you have to say everybody or nobody, if you know in advance that the allergy is an issue. It really isn't on to have one little child sitting there with no cake at school.

Speaking as the mother of a child who has a nut allergy it is unrealistic to expect people not to bring in food that says 'may contain nuts'. So many companies (M&S) have this or a similar statement on their packaging.

From what I can see the OP didn't give her DD a cake with actual nuts in so unless she bakes it herself most shop bought cakes would be off limits.

Most children with a nut allergy (particularly at Y6) know what 'their' rules are. Our daughter was allowed to eat things that said 'MAY contain nuts' but that was our personal choice. Some kids are not allowed and so (usually) are accepting that they can't have a slice of cake.

There is abig difference between bringing in a carrot and walnut cake and an asda traybake that has no nuts in the recipe but MAY have nuts in it.

It is worrying for parents but we and our nut allergy children have to navigate in the world. Obviously if I could I would eradicate all nuts on the planet but I can't so we have to just get on with it.

it is unrealistic to expect people not to bring in food that says 'may contain nuts'. So many companies (M&S) have this or a similar statement on their packaging.

For their own eating, yes, but not for the class. There is no need for children to bring in massive cakes.

I hope the school regards you in the same light as we do. You've shown yourself up to be pathetic and selfish. I hope you've taken something away from this thread. People like you need to be educated.

Banning 'may contain nuts' is ridiculous. I can't imagine there will be a risk assessment that says anything about it so it's a bit pointless to ask. I bet on this occasion a well meaning member of staff saw the word 'nuts' and was a bit over cautious in light of recent media coverage.

I have one child with a (thankfully so far mild) nut allergy and one who is (fussy but does like nuts) vegetarian who could do with more calories. It's very annoying sometimes!!!

Actually it isn’t the case that all supermarkets blithely stamp “may contain nuts” on everything. Asda do, Sainsburys don’t. And a cake is a particular risk so in this case you can’t really blame the supermarket. We avoid all “may contain nuts” labelled items but it really only causes issues for us with cakes and biscuits, cereals, and sauces, and we don’t buy bakery items.

To those asking why there are so many more nut allergy cases now—it is believed that the urging of pregnant women not to eat them and the delay in introducing them into infant diets has not helped. Pushing the weaning age back to six months may also not be helpful. Some scientists now believe it’s better to introduce possible problem foods at around four months while breast feeding is more likely be going on.

This new theory always causes outrage on MN, where weaning before six months is regarded as child cruelty by certain posters.

Here’s a link:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2016/mar/04/early-introduction-peanuts-eggs-cuts-allergy-risk-eat-study

I'm confused as to why you're going to ask for the risk assessment? It won't change anything and as someone has already mentioned you will be wasting the time of the school office staff. A child or adult obviously has an allergy, that should be the end of it. Nuts are not a necessity. I don't think anyone is being rude to you here i just think you're overthinking this. If they've put a ban on anything that even MAY contain nuts, then the person must have a severe allergy.

Its difficult, ds1 is anaphylactic to peanuts, we can't leave the house without his allergy box and he has the same medications in his classroom at school. Our school is nut free, this doesn't make us complacent I have drilled it into ds to always check everything. I don't rely on the nut ban to keep him safe, its a good job too as we've had two instances of other children bringing in peanut butter sandwhiches despite it being made clear no nuts are allowed.

I get the OPs frustration but, we can't leave the house without his Epi pens, they aren't the magical cure, they buy you time thats all. I think asking to see the risk assessment does make you look silly. I worry all the time that ds may have a reaction, when you have seen your child literally fight for every breath after licking peanut butter off his finger, the fear and panic whilst we waited for an ambulance, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

We are now in the position thst his Epipens run out of date at the end of this month, he has Epipen jrs due to his weight, they are even harder to get hold of right now. If our pharmacy can't get them we have been told to keep the out of date ones until they can and hope they dont lose their efficacy.

This is what we have to carry everywhere...

Fartmare ours ran out at the end of September. We were put on an informal waiting list for junior doses but after phoning and visiting 20 something pharmacies realised it wasn’t going to happen. We re-visited the GP and ds was prescribed adult doses for the first time although he’s just under the required weight.

We got Jext in the end. One of my friends has pens that ran out of date in April. The advice is that they’re “probably” ok. Great.

Does any 'epipen parent' know what is going to happen with epipens in schools when they expire? We've been sent a letter from our GP surgery saying to keep hold of the old pens as they can't guarantee a new up-to-date set, but DDs school have a rule (that they claim they can't overrule) that they will not keep or administer out of date epipens!!!

frogsoup in terms of priority the pharmacies have been sent a flowchart to assess need, which states that any pens held at school/nursery etc are to be disregarded anyway. It’s up to the pharmacies to decide whether to issue one pen or two. Our school returns all expired pens so in theory you could keep it/them for home emergencies and hope that you get a pen issued which meets school requirements. If the situation persists and you can’t get one? Who knows.