To email school about them banning any food that "may contain traces of nuts"?

[PartyGoose]

Had an email last night from DD's school (it's a school that goes right through from 3-18 so covers all age groups) saying that as of today give us plenty of notice why don't you no food can be brought onto school premises that contains nuts or "may contain traces of nuts" due to a child with a severe nut allergy starting there.

I can't see how this is workable. It rules out about 50% of bought food, and 100% of food made/prepared in my kitchen as we eat a lot of nuts at home.

Obviously I am more than willing to avoid sending any food that actually has nuts in, and I'm going to take extreme care to check labels etc going forward.

But...surely they can't expect everyone to avoid anything that "may contain traces of nuts"? That's just not doable for most people.

And what about if DD has nut milk on porridge or nut butter on toast for breakfast (as she often does) and then goes to school and breathes nut fumes, is that a danger too? Should we be avoiding eating them at home?

I agree. 'Nut aware' is far better than 'nut free'.

And banning food that may contain traces is 100% of homemade. None of us live in a lab.

Do email, for all the good it will probably do!

I think what they basically mean is "don't send in nutty cereal bars /things with proper nuts in". They are not going to ban your dd from entering school if she has a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast or whatever. How could they, they wouldn't even know?

Just be sensible.

Sad as such allergies are, the universe does not revolve around those suffering from them.

Banning all food that contains trace amounts of nuts is virtually impossible. How absurd. Definitely push back on this.

I presume they will be more than aware they cant be 100% nut free but it will be more about parents making an effort and making them aware how serious it needs to be taken

Very few foods are guarenteed nut (or any other allergen) free, and "may contain" is a widely used disclaimer just in case of cross contamination in the production/ food chains.

Totally disproportionate to ban all "may contains", the impact totally outweighs the risk by proxy.

Gosh your post doesn't come across as very kind to the child who is assumedly life-threateningly allergic to nuts.

I would expect you to avoid any traces of actual nuts in food sent into school including eg. Do not use same knife as you've used for peanut butter, use a clean chopping board. These seem reasonable to me, achievable and not too onerous.

I assume your DC brush their teeth before school? This would be sufficient I imagine.

If you want clarification, perhaps an email to school asking for details as to how you can support this child not to have an allergic reaction is needed.

I think this is very normal. Also seen bans on hummus due to sesame seeds.

given the rise in veggie kids this seems a very blunt instrument. Do kids with nut allergies not go in shops/supermarkets?

I would prefer more subtle measures but im
not sure schools would be happy with the risk

Re: the eating nuts before going to school, I would expect close classmates/peers of the child to separately be told if this is a risk factor. If your child is a different year group and unlikely to be in close contact with them, then I don't think that should be an issue, but unless school is a bit better about communicating then it's hard to know!

Perhaps they are trying to impress the importance upon parents with the 'no traces of nuts' thing but totally not the right way to do it! It's also much easier to just enforce a 'Nothing that contains nuts' rule than introduce grey areas about traces and stuff.

I don't have any allergic DC btw, just this is what I think is reasonable.

YANBU If they want people to follow guidelines then they need to give guidelines that are actually achievable otherwise people will just switch off. It's this kind of stuff that is behind the research showing that nut free schools have more cases of anaphylaxis than schools which allow nuts in some areas and have proper allergy procedures around foods.

We have this in two classes in our school. It isn’t as difficult as it sounds, the kids are all told to wash their hands regularly which in all fairness they’re already doing, and if you go for good old fashioned sandwiches or fruit you’re safe. The issues come with eg last day of school or school tours as it rules out eg chocolate bars but haribo and crisps generally do the job! I feel more for the child that’s allergic themselves tbf, it’s tough going for them!

I have a nut allergy.
If you rule out all items that 'may' contain traces you will be left with very little...
Very few items are guaranteed nut free because of production methods.
I would gently point this out to the school and maybe suggest they provide a list of suitable foods. That might make them think a bit harder.
The anaphylaxis society has lists of food which are frequently updated as this changes!

I think if you don't suffer with a nut allergy or know someone with one, it's hard to imagine how hard life can be for them.

I have a very mild nut allergy so can be around them but shouldn't consume them myself. However my cousin nearly died from someone eating nuts and then passing her something without washing her hands.

I do agree that it is nearly impossible to ban nuts all together, but if your child could potentially die from eating/touching certain foods, wouldn't you want the school to try and help?

I'm not unsympathetic FFS. I'm asking because I'm genuinely unsure how workable this is or how literally I'm meant to take it.

I've said, I will check labels extremely carefully and avoid anything with nuts in. That applies to home prepared food as well, and I would do my best to avoid cross contamination when preparing food at home.

If they really are saying that nothing that may contain any traces of nuts to be brought to school, then that is actually a massive undertaking for most people, not a simple breezy request to make with less than 24 hours notice. What if someone didn't pick up the email until today?!

I don't think banning all food that says "may contain traces of nuts" on the label is reasonable of the school. That is a huge number of things - DH has an anaphylactic allergy to nuts and some seeds so I know how hard it can be to find things that don't say "may contain" on them. If you have children with other allergies/intolerances in the school (dairy, gluten etc) it could be even harder to find items that fit their needs and also don't list nuts as a "may contain" risk.

The schools approach goes against the advice of the Anaphylaxis Society, who do not recommend “nut bans” in schools, far less banning foods which “may contain” nuts.

a nut allergy is no more serious than any other allergy. A friends daughter is allergic to many things, including nuts, dairy, carrots and black pepper. There’s no way any school could ban all of these!

What age is the child who's starting? If they are at the youngest end, then they are never going to come into contact with the older ones anyway, are they?

A friend of mine has a dc with a peanut allergy, so I know how difficult it is.

if you go for good old fashioned sandwiches or fruit you’re safe

Nope. DD has a nut allergy and many breads have nuts or may contain traces of nuts. Plus, she won't eat sandwiches. Much better for HER to learn and be aware. Which is what now happens. In Primary they tried to ban everything in class and there was mine, plus eggs, fish, a couple of other things. It was ridiculous. Rather than implementing strict 'no sharing', strict 'be aware in your class' and strict handwashing.

Myself and my DS have peanut (and other food) allergies

This is completely ridiculous! I’m fully aware that my child could be potentially exposed at school, but I rely on the school (and him) taking all reasonable precautions. Such as he doesn’t get given any food unless it’s been checked and approved. And he’s been taught to ask a (trusted) teacher and not to accept anything until it’s agreed. Tables and hands are cleaned before returning to class etc etc.

I could not rely on 100 different parents not sending in something that would affect him. I’ve made mistakes myself!

Reasonable is asking for no items directly containing the allergen, and perhaps close friends of this child to have more strict rules if they are eating lunch together. Not a full on ban on “May contain traces” foods

They are mad. My dd is anaphylactic and I have to give her food that says 'may contain' or she would starve to death. I wouldn't give her crunchy nut cornflakes but I would give her cornflakes.

It's almost impossible to buy any food at all where they can guarantee that there is no danger of cross contamination. I know kinnerton chocolate used to be. I don't know if that's still the case.

I think this is probably a. The school trying to protect the child but also b. Someone will have done a thorough risk assessment and this will intend to cover them if she has a reaction at school. They need to show they are taking measures for her

Yabu to email school. They’ll already be understaffed and overworked they don’t need another complaint to reply to.

Their email is basically another reminder that school is a nut free zone. Our school is too, yet some idiots still send their kids into school with nutella sandwiches deapite many reminders from school who are st end of tether with this!

Be paitent and forgiving with the school, don’t create unnecessary admin, and thank your lucky stars that your child doesn’t have a life-threatening allergy which depends on good will and compliance by other people.