Special diets and school dinners

[Brunelofbrio]

I’ve just had an email from DDs school telling me that moving forward they can’t do a special diet for her without medical evidence. DD has an intolerance to tomatoes. They irritate her skin, causing a rash around her mouth and diarrhoea. Before we realised the link, DD was under the paediatrician for failure to thrive as she didn’t grow between the age of 3-4. School have always been able to accommodate this but now they have a new catering contract. Apparently tomatoes are not on their list of allergens.

I can’t seem to find any doctors letters which mention the issue (DD is now 8)- there were other medical issues that concerned the doctor more. The doctor simply said that if it was working then great and do that! Dd has never had any official tests but just a clear cause and effect. We occasionally test it under controlled conditions just in case she has outgrown it but it is still an issue.

AIBU to question the policy - it seems like a real waste of doctors time to have to get an official diagnosis. Or should I just give up with school dinners and send packed lunches?

Many young children....under 5 ish have a reaction to the histamine in tomatoes and strawberries generally they out grow it. When did your lo last have a tomatoe?

Unfortunately, it's a result of too many people taking the P! What you do next depends on how much you want her to have school dinners. Given the current difficulties getting a Dr appt it may be easier just to go with packed lunches for now.

Having been a dinner lady and a school playground mum, I can tell you exactly who to 'blame' and it isn't the school. It's the hundreds of parents who make up allergies so that their pfb doesn't eat food they don't like/ or whatever other reason.

If you explained to your doctor over the telephone what’s happened, and would it be possible for the doctor to write a note, stating that it’s not unusual for children to be allergic to tomatoes, and your child is one of them.

If that’s not possible, then packed lunches it is.

I knew a dinner lady in a primary school, and she was entitled to a free dinner. She never took it!!

DC has a number of intolerances and so has always had packed lunch. Nursery were very accommodating but perhaps understandably the school isn’t. We can’t get a medical note, because it’s not possible to test for most intolerances, as opposed to full-on allergies. I’d say packed lunch is the way to go.

I’d imagine avoiding tomatoes whilst catering is so hard they can’t find meals to suit for the meagre budget they get

I’d just send a packed lunch

Go with packed lunches.

As a pp said tomatoes are a reasonably common childhood allergen that can be outgrown. My son did, from strawberries too. It is not one of the 14 legally listed allergens but definitely has a high prevalence in under 5s.

My gp's advice was also just avoid it rather than officially test, however you could try with your daughter to see her reaction -use cooked not raw- get gp advice first, or ask your gp to write a letter saying she must not have it. I'd expect this to be a private service, my gp would charge £25 for this.