Eating nuts on train?

[Watdidusay]

I need a sense check. I was eating a biscuit on a national rail train yesterday. It had a peanut butter filling.
I was standing in the gangway as the train had almost no seats.
At one stop, a woman and 2 young children were getting off. As they were waiting for the train to stop the woman said to me you can't eat peanuts on the train as it's a confined space. I didn't immediately understand and didn't really respond properly. She then got off.

I feel humiliated and stupid. I knew sometimes on planes this wasn't allowed if someone was allergic but didn't know this was the case on trains.

AIBU for not understanding?

This - the point with planes is you cant get off to seek medical assistance, plus you have a high volume of people in a space that you cant move out of, so a higher chance of surface based contact eg nut crumbs on seats. Airborne transmission is almost none existent even with aeroplane ventilation systems - see allergy uk for research.

They’ve done studies on planes and it’s generally the debris/crumbs etc on seats that are a trigger rather than smelling nuts. That’s rare, much more common with fish allergy actually. I suppose it could depend on how dusty the nuts are though and how close the allergic person is. Also planes have hepa filters for the air that trains don’t have.

Agree..

...and as I think you mentioned upthread AFAIK there is no universal rule about eating nuts on aircraft (and all that might go with that such as special announcements)...some passengers thinking that/insisting that's that case/getting into arguments with crew over that has led to problems in the past.

Different airlines can and do have different policies.

I am allergic to dogs and they’re allowed on trains. I’ve had a few long trips wheezing and my face swelling up because there was a dog nearby.

Its not a rule but I personally don't eat peanuts in public because there is no reason to just like i wouldn't eat a tuna sandwich in public

Plus the air recirculates on a plane potentially spreading the peanuts around the entire plane, whereas on a train it would just stay locally.

I am very allergic to feathers. Down coats are a nightmare to me in the winter. But I don’t except people not to wear them. I just avoid sitting close to anyone who may be wearing one. Plus I also can’t stop birds flying.

it’s my issue and I adjust where I feel needed

It’s some nuts. You’re not smoking crack! I am anaphylactic to a particular fruit. My boss’s PA had 5 big ones on her desk yesterday. I just took a big step back and asked her the thing I needed to ask her. But how on earth did the mum see the PB inside the biscuit? She must have eagle eyes!

Bloody hell, I’d never had thought of this! Is this what we are doing now?

I get train to gym sometimes, am ravenous on return journey and will eat an oat bar with peanut butter filling or small tuna pot (no smell!). Protein, complex carbs and fat. I respect the no nuts rule on airplanes with recirculated air when asked, but never thought to think not eating nuts etc was expected anywhere else!

Trains aren’t confined either, there are windows, doors opening etc, so air flows a lot - also: a. How did mum know it was your biscuit vs contaminated seat or handle and b. why didn’t she exit from the other door of the carriage? 🤷‍♀️

Moat airliners some air gets recirculated, and that which does usually flows through HEPA filters before being reintroduced to the cabin.

Evidence from trials and epidemiology (e.g. that associated with Covid) have shown it's definitely not a case of everyone across the whole aircraft being exposed to the same level of contaminant.

That's why some airlines that do have restrictions around nut consumption only apply those restrictions to one cabin (on a multi cabin aircraft) or even only a few rows around the passenger at risk.

there is no rules about nut eating on trains or in confined spaces
she could ask politely if she was concerned
she could move down the train

Anyone who relies on public spaces being nut free is being totally unrealistic, so individuals trying to police strangers on public transport are wasting their time. Even nut free schools are not really nut free because a lot of children eat nutella, peanut butter or nutty cereal for breakfast and don't wash their hands or faces thoroughly. That is far more risky than air born particles in public spaces.

And you let affect you really ? Do you let anyone just say things and accept it - say no believe in yourself. Be bold do not let anyone walk over you !

I had the same reaction when i saw camels thinking is it one hump or two.

Yes but the question is it peanuts are they plain salted or flavoured- thats the question. We have to investigate this further its getting intriguing 😮

I m down with that

We all had to stop eating strawberries at a school I worked in because an adult had an allergy. I worked in an office that she never came into. Another teacher was scared of tomatoes and had them banned from the staff room.

It's difficult for some with other dietary requirements. Those with coeliac for example - it's hard to find GF snacks. Those that are definitely GF and travel well are the snack bars like nakd and Deliciously Ella. They all contain nuts. I found packed lunches for GF kids incredibly hard if no nuts were allowed

👏

Virgin trains sell nuts so they are allowed on trains. Sounds like that lady had a chip on her shoulder about it. Of course if someone nearby mentioned they were allergic then I’d put them away, but no one did! I’ve always snacked on nuts when travelling as they’re full of protein and easy to eat. Planes sell nuts too unless someone aboard has a nut allergy.

There may not be any rules about it but I avoid eating any strong smelling foods on a train.

The smell of peanuts makes me physically sick and I am sure other smells can cause similar reactions in others.

I'm the same.

Discovered this when staying in a hotel the night before an interview and woke up around 1am sneezing my head off, itchy and red, puffy eyes and tickly throat. Turns out it had a feather pillow!

I've also had quite extreme reactions to some cats before too, so just need to be careful!

@Watdidusay you are absolutely allowed to eat peanuts on a train. The woman was being a pedantic cow. If someone has an allergy then they carry an epipen. The only exception to this is on flights were it is not easy to get the required medical help if a person has an allergic reaction.

No peanut allergies here.However is it so hard to avoid nuts in general? Look for biscuits /choc bars that are nut free surely .There are many such snacks around Mars Bars/Bounty / Twlx and so on .Also many plain crisps /Pringles and so on to choose from .You can enjoy Nuts at home !

I’m allergic to dogs and they are everywhere. My friend’s son is allergic to nuts and dairy, she says people are really respectful about the nut allergy but completely ambivalent to the dairy one. No idea why people are so sensitive about nut allergies, rather than all the others.

I am also allergic to bananas so I just don’t eat them 🤷🏼‍♀️.

“Research studies, including aircraft simulations, demonstrate that there is no evidence to support airborne transmission of peanut/tree nut allergens as a likely phenomenon.
On this basis, general “nut bans” or announcements requesting passengers not to consume nuts on a specific flight are not supported. Local “buffer” zones may help limit potential exposure, but evidence is lacking; nonetheless, their implementation may provide additional reassurance to food-allergic passengers.”
taken from https://www.caa.co.uk/publication/download/20976. In addition, other studies have shown it’s often the (very understandable ) anxiety around travel and perceived airborne risks for those with peanut allergies that is triggering symptoms . There is such a notable difference in how people think around peanut allergy risks compared to those of eg. Dairy which also has the capacity to trigger anaphylaxis but nobody calls other people out for drinking a milkshake or eating a cheese butty .