To wonder what is dangerous about my child’s lunch

[NameChangeAK]

I received a message from school today saying my child’s lunch contained a prohibited item and to please review the policy “as there are children with severe allergies and it’s dangerous not to comply”

I don’t usually provide packed lunches - DC has school meals, but they did like todays meal options.

Ive responded and asked what the item was but waiting for a response, but I’m confused - it’s clearly a nut free school but I can’t see anything else anywhere about other banned foods

the packed lunch contained:

• ham sandwich (with butter) on brown bread
• apple
• frube (strawberry flavour)
• carton of own brand apple juice
• Pepperami
• babybel

any ideas what could be the problem or Aibu to think they’ve mistaken the ham as peanut butter or something ridiculous?

How did us oldies ever get to be alive 🙄

Oof. This is really depressing from someone who works in food prep tbh.

Nut allergies are no more serious than milk allergies which should be treated equally seriously. As mentioned above, a schoolboy died when a piece of cheese was thrown at him. For some children, a contact reaction to milk could be extremely serious - hence the school banning frubes as the risk of mess substantially increases the risk to the allergic child.

It can be a real struggle for people with non-nut serious allergies to be taken seriously, especially if they are allergic to something which isn't one of the listed allergens. Anything can be an allergen, the list is just the most common ones.

Cross contamination can easily happen when two children sit side by side eating their packed lunches, regardless of how safely they were packed at home. Something like a frube presents a higher risk.

There isn't much evidence of airborne nut allergies. Milk allergies however CAN be airborne, for example milk frothers in cafes or hot chocolate powder can cause reactions. Similarly, coelics need to be careful around flour - a friend's mother in law ended up in hospital after baking with her grandchildren as she inhaled some flour.

Oldies would have gone home for lunch, there for zero risk of cross contamination in a lunch hall.

Many kids 'choked to death' on peanuts. There is now a theory that many of those were actually allergic reactions to peanuts.

It really can't be easy to send you child out into the world of school knowing that they'll be sitting beside other kids who have stuff that's poisonous to them.

PEPPERAMI!!!!
They have a nut allergy warning on the packet and so can't be classed as nut free. The Aldi ones don't have the same warning if, like mine, your kids love them.

Maybe because you were one of those lucky enough not to have a life threatening allergy? 😕🙄

Exactly this. We have a nut free school but one of the severely allergic teachers had an anaphylactic reaction. Apparently the only thing they could work out that MIGHT have caused it was a child had eaten peanut butter on toast on the way to school and may have had some on their hand / transferred to a door handle etc.

DS1 has a peanut allergy and that is the sort of thing that worries me.

I'm on my phone with poor signal so can't double check, but there's no nuts or peanuts that I can see listed in the ingredients, so they're a may contain and absolutely fine in a nut free school.

Also.

It was the frube.

We're three days and 480 posts in, mystery long since solved.

I don’t remember anyone in my schools dying due to what was in someone else’s lunchbox. So a child that will only eat cheese can’t have it because of another child’s allergy ? They can sit separately, apart from nuts these school rules are getting ridiculous.

I had a packed lunch so I don’t really know what you are talking about. I understand the peanut allergy but saying children can’t have dairy is ridiculous.

Again, for those in the back, the only thing special about nuts in the allergen space is that they're easily avoided.

@user09876543 would you like my 4 year old to sit on her own at lunchtimes? It seems a bit harsh for a child just about to start school.

To those saying they have to learn to cope with their allergens being around them in the real world, have you ever been in a school hall at lunch time? There is basically food everywhere. If banning squirty yogurts prevents a child from going through life threatening anaphylaxis it's not really a huge issue to go without is it?

The OPs school hasn't banned dairy. It has banned one specific, messy item. They can still utter their bread, have cheese and take a pot of yogurt, and drink milk. They can't have a tube of yoghurt.

So the OP was being chastised for including a food that isn't listed as a 'banned' food on their website. Crikey, parents have to be psychic too. I'd be pointing out they need to update their website. In a non judgemental and constructive way obviously.

My dc school has banned so many items from the treat day list finding an approved appropriate sized non messy item is like finding hens teeth

Are they banning for allergies or because the treats are deemed too unhealthy?

Ignore the holier than thou mums. Their kids probably hate them for giving them boring packed lunches when all the other kids get baby bel.🤭 What you packed was probably way healthier than what they would have got for school lunches anyway! Mine are always getting chicken nuggets and chips, and spaghetti hoops on toast at school. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I’d be perplexed too

I’d get a copy of the allergy policy .
Nuts I get , but you’d rule out most stuff if you weee only allowed sterile foods (ie guarantee nut free food prep area )

The bread could be produced in an environment where nuts are also used

Id be writing a letter

Schools should not be banning foods to protect allergy sufferers, it flies in the face of the advice of every major body that advises on the issue, the largest of which is Allergy UK.

The school should have measures in place so that allergy sufferers can avoid allergans. We got our school's pokicy changed when they decided to restrict the diet of 1300 children in order to reduce the risk to one child.

When these kids go out into the world they will be exposed to allergens and need to learn how to rely on themselves to mitigate the risks.

It. Was. The. Bloody. Frube.

Sterile has nothing to do with being nut free.

It. Was. The. Bloody. Frube.

May contains are allowed in nut free schools, many children with nut and peanut allergies eat may contains themselves.

It. Was. The. Bloody. Frube.

The school isn't trying to ban any allergens, they've taken a very sensible measure to protect a child with a serious milk allergy by banning a product that is prone to squirting yoghurt everywhere. Other milk products are allowed.

Or possibly instead of aluminium foil she accidentally wrapped the food in magnesium tape which spontaneously combusted and set fire to the dining hall.

If only there were a way to find out!

Was the bread seeded?

I would have responded to the message and said "please, do not send me a message like this again without telling me the specific item you find undesirable, and why".