School catering company asking for proof of my kids allergies before they are allowed school dinners.

[CovidStoleTheRainbow]

Background - my child is anaphylactic to dairy, egg, banana and nuts.
A less severe allergy to wheat, soya, shell fish.

He's entitled to free school meals for a couple of months and we figured he could have jacket potato.

School said not til we filled in a form.
The Chartwells form said not til we have given proof of allergies.
I thought they were joking so I filled in the form but didn't send 'proof'.
School asked for proof, I asked school to photo copy my child's anaphylaxis care plan and send them that.

Got a letter today from Chartwells, saying thanks for the proof of the foods he's severely allergic to, but now prove he's allergic to soya, wheat and shell fish.

I'm a bit 'what the fuck?!' for two reasons.

First of all - proof?! Why? Just allow his limited diet and let him eat a fricking hot spud.

Second of all, the waiting list for the allergy clinic in my area is 2 years before coronavirus issues and it's a fight to get on the list at all so there's kids out there with little to no proof they have allergies or intolerances to food, and many of them will be from families in poverty well in need of free school meals.

Yes I get there will be people who randomly not wanting their kid to eat gluten but with allergies on the rise in the way that they are, they will be the absolute lowest common denominator.

They need proof because the school and the catering company are in charge of your sons welfare if you're wanting them to feed them.

Free school meals or not.

And your child will need a care plan in place at school.

Sounds mad to me. You’ve told them, they should cater accordingly. I assume school has epi pens for your son!

@Tinacollada

They need proof because the school and the catering company are in charge of your sons welfare if you're wanting them to feed them.

Free school meals or not.

And your child will need a care plan in place at school.

I think you're confused.

As in my OP, I stated about his care plan.

And I don't want Chartwells to feed my son certain foods which will ensure his welfare is at the forefront of each meal time.

So why do they need proof of this?

Also - presume chartwells is the catering company?

You need to speak with your local council's education department and have them put you in touch with the appropriate catering people for your sons school before they will draw up a special menu.

Hope it gets sorted soon.

Because special diets have to be prepared and cooked separately so there is no cross contamination or errors. And because some parents ask for special diets as their children dislike rather than are allergic to ingredients. So the company are being cautious!

Not confused.

I just have no idea who chartwells is

They have a standard form that the GP can sign rather than needing to go via the allergy clinic.

You need proof because of the muppets who avoid gluten for no reason, are vegan apart from McDonald’s, dairy free when they feel like it etc. It costs much more to make allergy suitable meals so they won’t want the hassle and expense if it’s a fad rather than a proper allergy.

They probably want proof because it will be very difficult to provide food that is guaranteed free from all those ingredients. They will need to cook his food completely separately from all the other food ensuring no cross contamination during preparation, cooking or serving which in a school kitchen environment is going to be awkward.

I am guessing so that they know definitively what the risks are. If the potato comes into contact with a food he is allergic to will that cause a severe reaction etc etc? It is a massive pain but it is to avoid a tragedy that they would be liable for if they get it wrong.

I never understood why they needed proof but unfortunately I wouldn't hold out hope of a decent allergen free menu from them even when you get through the admin nightmare unfortunately.

My DD, now in yr9, has an anaphylactic allergy to milk and I tried to sort out a dairy free menu from caterers when she was at primary school. We had chartwell, ISS ,( or are they one and the same?!) and they were both equally as bad.

Of course they need proof !

Can you imagine a school kitchen with hundreds of children with a care plan that wasn't necessary?!

Or indeed, neglecting the children that need one.

Nope....

I used to deal with this in a school, you would be honestly amazed by the dietary ‘allergy’ requests. Some had decided a food would heal their child’s gut and cure asd, others simply disliked certain foods and claimed allergy, some had hair tests for a huge number of foods from an alternative practitioner, others had allergies and presumed inheritance was a given... it was so massively and constantly abused at about 20:1 made up to real.
They’ve probably been forced to act like this after trust was blown out the water. It’s shit for the real cases. Some diets were even borderline abusive in their restrictions or hell to enforce, like denying an autistic child the few foods they’d eat. I’ve had parents swear blind an allergy is so severe it’s airborne and can lead to death if they are near someone eating fish, when we’ve been watching the kid eat fish fingers every Friday for 5 years at that point. People constantly bullshitted us. Even to the point of providing an epipen they’d acquired in one case. Until you deal with it it’s hard to believe how passionate people get over diets.

Since I last saw my allergist, I’m pretty sure I’ve developed a new allergy. Since the symptoms are very unpleasant, but not life threatening, I know exactly what she will recommend when I see her next: continue eliminating it from your diet and after a few months, trial the food and see what happens. I’ve already got epi-pens on hand. She won’t refer me for additional testing because it’s just not necessary.

I'd be more shocked if they didn't ask. Don't you have something in writing from hospital?

I agree that the evidence they need is your declaration.

@NewCatMummy

You need proof because of the muppets who avoid gluten for no reason, are vegan apart from McDonald’s, dairy free when they feel like it etc. It costs much more to make allergy suitable meals so they won’t want the hassle and expense if it’s a fad rather than a proper allergy.

But if they are vegan (even if they want McFlurry after school on Friday) then thats their choice, surely? They should be allowed a spud with beans and will they be refused or asked for proof?! Neither, I'd like to think.

This is mad. If your son is ill because they fed him food you have told them will make him ill, are they prepared to be sued?

@Tinacollada

Of course they need proof !

Can you imagine a school kitchen with hundreds of children with a care plan that wasn't necessary?!

Or indeed, neglecting the children that need one.

Nope....

Hundreds of children with a care plan that wasn't necessary?

You have no idea what you're talking about.

A 'care plan' is a form that with information on how to save a child's life, filled out and signed by a consultant.

The school has 180 kids in it.

They don't all have 'care plans'. 3 of them do.

I don't get this. surely the consultant would have included all the allergies.

OP you would be surprised by the amount of children that's parent claim that they have allergies and it is just the child not liking a food. The reason we ask for proof in my nursery is because of this reason.

They need to know that it is genuine allergy rather than parental preference/fussy eaters, and they need to be sure they are getting the correct information.

Lots of time and money is wasted by parents claiming their child has a "dairy allergy" for instance but they then bring in dairy cake on their birthday or parent says they can have ice cream if they want it.

Ask your GP to confirm the allergies.

I agree. parents so often insist their child is allergic to a certain food but send it in for trips. they then get annoyed when staff confiscate it as apparently they're not allergic all the time....

covid, I feel your pain with school caterers but I think you're just going to have to suck it up. I had so many problems with them that I'm quite relieved that DD just takes a packed lunch now

"But if they are vegan (even if they want McFlurry after school on Friday) then thats their choice, surely"

No. No no no. Vegan was determined by a judge to be a protected characteristic based on philosophical belief. If you eat non-vegan you are not vegan, you follow a predominantly vegan diet. Not the same at all.