To think schools searching sandwiches is a bit much

[Comewhatmay25]

Just found out my DDs school search their lunchboxes everyday. But not just lunch boxes but open sandwiches to see the filling and open flasks to see what's inside. This feels very intrusive and I wonder if it could have the opposite effect of cross contamination. It's not done by staff in the kitchen just dinner ladies with no gloves on or nearby handfasting facilities. AIBU to think this is disgusting and intrusive or is there a need for it?
Does anyone else's school do this?

Exactly. This is just going too far.

And in that example the poster gave what if the egg kid had touched their fruit with their ‘eggy’ hands then put it in their lunchbox then a lunchroom assistant or whatever touched their fruit which is now “contaminated” with egg then touched the sandwich of that kid who has the egg allergy.

Surely this is just increasing the chances of all sorts of cross-contamination?

@Comewhatmay25 to be frank you need to speak up and advocate for your child and if not what was the point of posting?

You could have a child eating peanut butter for breakfast, or a nutty bar on the way to school - they'd be just as much of a risk as a child eating it at lunch surely?

How many middays does your school have?Because I've never known one to have enough to cover playgrounds, halls and have time for lunch box inspections for every child.

Dead god this so disgusting!

And I'm not one of your mental MNet clean freaks. Happily let the dogs like the kids and have never sterilised a bottle in my life.

But this made my stomach turn.

Yes totally, it would be an insane thing to do from an allergy perspective

Not least because actually most allergen deaths in children in the UK now are actually from milk

Oh FFS.

Kids did have allergies back then for starters. I had several I just went undiagnosed and was perpetually ill

Environmental factors (pollution, changes to food production etc) are thought to be behind the huge increase in severity of allergies.

But there is nothing weak or feeble about a child who knows that every time they eat they are essentially paying russian roulette. Allergy kids are phenomenally brave and resilient

Do you honestly think that caterers employed in a school don’t practise general and basic hygiene? I think your example is hyperbole.

But otherwise yeah I’m happy for them to ask kids to open their sandwiches and check if it keeps a kid safe.

Hey I don’t believe in participation metals either but there are kids who do have life threatening allergies. In fact I know one. She ate something that has been cross contaminated and stopped breathing. We all remember the girl that DIED from eating a pret sandwich on a plane in the news. Maybe you didn’t know anyone but that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. This isn’t being soft. In some instances this is about keeping kids safe.

Totally depends on the severity of the allergy. Some will have mild discomfort and maybe lip swelling so nothing too severe and not too much to worry about. Some will die. It depends on the situation and the child.

I probably worded it wrong, but I didn't mean that children with allergies are weak or feeble. Or that allergies don't exist.

I meant that generally, children are being nannied, controlled and pandered to, too much these days. Nothing to do with allergies. No one can help having them and I am aware it can be life threatening. I'd never want any harm to come to a child, especially if it can be avoided.

Maybe as you suggested, the issue was that people weren't diagnosed back then, so that's why it seems that no one had them.

See my reply to madamweb above.

I absolutely didn't mean having allergies means someone is soft! My wording was confusing. I see that now!

Yes, I think people were much less likely to be diagnosed. Just called fussy or sickly

Plus allergies have become more severe. But that's not because people are pandering to children. There is a lot of research as to what is the cause but it is accepted to be environmental factors (eg pollution , changes to food production methods etc). Plus the introduction of novel foods (kiwi etc) that weren't a feature of diets 50 years ago - my son is severely allergic (anaphylactic) to kiwi

But there were children with allergies. It was just not talked about in the press. My brother had a friend with severe dairy allergies and he used to come to our house for tea (because our mum was a doctor) and we all found the concept of not being able to have ice cream etc fascinating. But I think he often just missed out on play dates.

I'm absolutely not suggesting that pandering to children causes allergies or worsens them at all!

Didn't realise that the kiwi was a modern food. But I was aware that people can be allergic to them (because of Ross in Friends!). You must have been terrified when your DS had an anaphylactic episode.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I completely forgot my DH is allergic to bananas! Not severe, just hive-like itchy, hot bumps and rash all over his upper body. I totally forgot because it's been about 15 years since he accidentally consumed some in a freshly made smoothie - I wasn't aware so didn't know to warn him most smoothies contain banana.

What a dopey forgetful twat I am! I've also just remembered I'm allergic to St. Tropez fake tan. Itchy, blotchy rash. Again, not at all life threatening though. Also, my mum told me years ago that she thought I was allergic to cows milk as a baby because I'd scream in what she assumed was stomach pain after consuming it.

Honestly, as you're obviously aware, I have very little knowledge of allergies and have spent very little time thinking or learning about them because I never had a need to. I've been naive and ignorant to believe no one had allergies when I was at school.

It's a shame for children to be excluded because of allergies. I imagine it's very upsetting and confusing. No one likes to feel left out.

I don't see how this is possible - to open up all the lunchboxes for every single kid, and then unwrap and open sandwiches and be able to clearly identify fillings, put them back together, close up lunchboxes...

Are these staff in school all day and do they start their sandwich poking first thing?

Is the school massively below average in numbers - because checking 280 ish lunches each day sounds impossible.

Really?
How do you really know this? You saw it happen - when? If you are a member of staff then you would know why they were doing this. If you were just passing by did you actually see the full picture? Or is this a kid coming home and telling you their version?

Most schools I know have difficulty ensuring the right number of staff are in the hall and on the playground, there isn't capacity for a full on sandwich check! I can only suggest there was an issue that day that made them want to look?

And yes, many parents do forget rules about food in schools despite letters being given. I guess it's easy to slip people's minds if it doesn't directly affect them.

They do! My daughter got told she couldn't have her sandwich as I had used chocolate spread.. (not Nutella.or a nut one) don't judge i was out of things And live rurally so couldnt get anything else! And school dinners have to be booked at the half term.

So she wasn't allowed her sandwich. I got told off even though I said it didn't have nuts. They said they can't check if I'm lying.... it is a bit mad. I know nuts aren't allowed..hence the plain spread.

And before anyone.asks how do I know this... they pulled out in front of parents at pick up.

Thought the school lunch police had stopped these days.

Do you know this for sure? I work in a school and have never known this happen. Staff don't actively touch food/search lunch boxes but will keep an eye out for certain foods because of allergies. Also, to check that children have enough food and that's there isn't lots of chocolate/junk etc. I'm a parent too so I understand it may feel a bit intrusive but you wouldn't believe the things some children bring to school for their lunch. I've been told about left over take aways festering all day and chocolate spread sandwiches, with chocolate yogurt and chocolate bar etc.

Yes, that can pose a risk. The nursery my son attends asks parents to ensure that no children eat or handle nuts in the morning prior to attending nursery; if staff become aware that a child has consumed nuts, they will be unable to attend that day (this is due to a child having a severe allergy).

In my facsimile Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (originally published 1861) she refers to "Poisonous Foods" in section 2665 of The Doctor chapter.

"It sometimes happens that things which are in daily use, and mostly perfectly harmless, give rise, under certain unknown circumstances, and in certain individuals, to the symptoms of poisoning."

She highlights mussels, salmon and some cheeses and bacon as the most common foods to cause this. Which indicates that some people did have allergies and those listed probably reflect the foods people were eating.

Would be extremely surprised if this was true.

Also amazed staff have time to.

Re. allergies, yes you’d think parents would be aware and send appropriate food but some are idiots and just don’t care.

Who eats scrambled eggs with their fingers though??

A) children do all sorts of disgusting things when grown-ups aren't looking.

B) he wouldn't need to have actually eaten the eggs like a hand food, easy to get some on your hand while eating, or scraping the plate. Or probably most likely, go to school with a crumb on your jumper and brush it off. For some children trace amounts really can be dangerous.

A boy died in the UK after children at his school threw a slice of cheese at him.

Great so even though that happened, the dinner ladies putting their ungloved hands all over everyone's sandwiches, is fine and won't risk the same situation you just described?!

How on earth did they narrow it down to that being the cause of it?! They’d have had to know exactly what everyone ate for breakfast and exactly what pieces of fruit each kid touched. And at the age they sound in your post, I’m guessing a lot of the kids touched more than one piece of fruit!