To think that a headmistress should understand the difference between 'contains prawns' and 'prawn flavoured'?

[l39]

Prawn cocktail crisps are banned at my daughters' school 'because of children with shellfish allergies'. Don't misunderstand - I am totally in favour of not endangering people's lives by exposing them to substances they are allergic to! But there are no prawns in prawn cocktail flavour crisps. There are no animal products at all - it says on the packet 'suitable for vegetarians'. It's just a name. There are no more prawns in those crisps than there are monsters in Monster Munch. Now, I did wonder if there were some brands that really do have prawn in. But no - she specifically mentioned Skips as being forbidden in her latest letter. They're vegetarian suitable too! Shouldn't a headmistress be able to read an ingredients list? I am keeping to the ban but it makes me angry to see such bad logic from a teacher.

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Friend's kid has an allergy to nuts and even as an under 5 he would always ask an adult if something had nuts in. One example is that he was offered a chocolate from a box at a social event and he said he needed to ask his mum first. Chocs weren't banned (quite rightly!) but he was taught what he's allowed to eat and what to check.

I can understand with the nut allergy thing as it can be very severe. Are other allergies as severe?

But I do also agree that the child with allergies need to be taught as early as possible about what they can and cant have and that they need to get things checked by an adult.

My friend's DD can't have chocolate amongst a couple of other things. She is 3y and is very clear that she can't have it and knows that she can't will tell others she cant and will get things she is not sure about checked by a grown up.

There is a nut-allergic child at our school who is contact sensitive -- just touching the residue on someone else's hand can set a reaction off (told me by a mum of another child who is also nut allergic, but only reacts if she actually digests one).

Most food-type allergies are not skin-contact sensitive.

Maybe child referred to in OP is also sensitive to synthetic compounds that mimic prawn taste (clutching at straws, here)?

I have a friend who is allergic to the 'colour red'. Her first incling was when she was at a Halloween type party where there was copious amounts of a red goo spread around. She knew she had been leaning on the railings and got some on her hands then drank from a water bottle. She thinks thats how she first ingested it. Cue a very serious Anaphalactic shock where she had to have her heart restarted

She has had alot of investigations including skin prick tests and showed reactions to may 'red' colours but doctors havn't pinned down specific ones. She now carries an Epipen and has had a reaction to a red wine

My friend's DD has a very severe dairy allergy - so much so that a drop of milk on her hand causes a red welt and she has been hospitalised for accidental ingestion.

AFAIK there has never been any question of banning dairy products at her school, even when she was tiny. She has always been very clear about what she can eat and is very cautious about accepting food because she knows the results are not nice.

Hulababy - "I can understand with the nut allergy thing as it can be very severe. Are other allergies as severe?"

• yes, any allergy can be as severe.

Before peanut allergy sort of overtook it, shellfish allergy was the really bad allergy you tended to hear the worst stories about.

I have droned on ad nauseum about this subject, but my DS1 is badly allergic to milk and eggs (less so to nuts), but there is absolutely no way the school would ever consider banning milk. And he had a "friend" (shouldn't have put the inverted commas as the boy is a friend, but I am so angry still) who thought it would be a jolly jape to sprinkle his cheese and onion crisps all over DS1's sandwich. DS1, being a sensible boy, had no lunch that day.

One of the things about peanut allergy causing a problem with traces is that peanut butter is fiendishly sticky, gets stuck on fingers etc very easily.

Oh I meant to mention that Prawn Crackers have prawns in, and they look like crisps. It might have been easier to just ban anything prawny.

Thanks BS - wasn't sure. Fortunately not really had to deal with any allergies with DD, although have friends with children who are allergic to certain items (dairy, etc) but their symptoms when they react, although unpleasant, are not life threatening (not anaphalatic).

I guess then it is even more reason why the child themselves must be brought up right from the start having some awareness of it and what they can/can't have.

holdittogether - dc friend 6 is severley allergic to nuts - even a child eating crunchy nut cornflakes for breakie can cause a reaction if she plays with that child (even after teeth brushed)

to take banned foods to a school i think is selfish

though obv there are different reactions, so an allergy to milk - child is ok if doesnt drink it - is different from nuts/strawberryies iyswim

op - the crisp thing is weird - its flavouring

though our school doesnt allow crisps for lunch full stop!!