I read a great article over at GNMParents today. Megin Hatch writes about the social side of food allergies. Her son has a severe peanut allergy and she shared some of the social stigma he’s had to endure as a result. Go read the article before you read more of this post. Yes, now. I’ll be here when you get back.
Isn’t she a great writer?
My Back Story
My son does not have any food allergies. No one in my immediate family does. I feel lucky in that respect. This is primarily due to my strong fondness (ok, obsession) with peanut butter. I’m also a big fan of pasta, bread, milk, and other stuff rife with allergens.
I used to write product specifications that included allergen labeling information for a food company. As a result, I learned about how documentation on each ingredient in a food is reviewed to see if allergens are present. Actually testing a food for allergens is expensive and most companies don’t go to that level of testing. However, they do track where each of the ingredients in the product came from and require their suppliers to have robust allergen control programs.
I also learned about the steps food companies have to take to segregate allergens within their facility. I’m sure you’ve seen the warnings that say an item is produced in a plant that processes peanuts and/or tree nuts. That’s really important for people like Megin and her son because of the severity of his reaction. Peanuts are the only allergen that manufacturers have to tell you is anywhere in their plant. If a manufacturing plant produces items with soy in addition to stuff without soy, they have to keep the soy separate from the rest of the ingredients in the plant. They also have to clean their equipment after using soy ingredients before they can produce the non-soy items.
As you can imagine, that presents a host of problems for food manufacturers. Companies that market their foods as allergen free go to great lengths to ensure their products are safe. Many plants have gone to the extent of banning peanuts and other nuts in employee break rooms. That means no peanut butter and jelly sammiches for those workers.
That job taught me a lot about allergens, government regulations, and the way manufacturers deal with them. It really opened my eyes to the difficulties faced by people with allergies.
Peanut Free Schools
Schools strive not only to educate their students, but to provide a safe atmosphere in which to grow. What exactly does “safe” mean then? It’s a no brainer that safety includes things like preventing strangers from hangin’ around the school, ensuring playground equipment isn’t faulty, and shoveling sidewalks in the winter. Some schools have gone to the extent of banning peanuts throughout the school.
I’m not sure a school wide ban is appropriate, even in elementary school. Megin’s post got the wheels spinning in my head around allergies and schools.
My Experience
My son’s school does not ban peanuts. Each year, we have to fill out a form advising the school if our child has any food allergies, medical concerns, special needs, etc. As far as I know, there is no special effort made to give kids with allergies an allergen free area to eat lunch. Each classroom is on its own in terms of whether or not they allow allergens.
In my son’s class, each student brings in snacks for the rest of the class on a rotating schedule (it works out to three or four times a year). The teacher has asked people to bring healthy snacks, but it doesn’t quite work out that way. The school does not allow us to bring homemade snacks for any occasion. We must purchase individually packaged items from the store. That means a lot of people end up buying snack cakes, cookies, crackers, or chips.
Although, my son did tell me that someone brought bananas today. Instead of buying packaged junk food, this kid’s parents bought bananas. Easy, cheap, and healthy…plus, my son said all the kids loved it.
A huge number of store bought, individually packaged items contain peanuts or were processed in a plant that also contains peanuts. Finding snacks that meet the school’s requirements and don’t contain peanuts is very difficult. The grocery stores in our small town are making more and more room for specialty items including allergen free foods. These foods are more expensive and often not individually packaged, making it more difficult for parents to purchase appropriate snacks.
Last year, there was one child in my son’s class that was allergic to peanuts. His parents brought extra snacks for him to eat in case the snacks brought by other students contained peanuts. The first time my son and I went shopping for a snack for his class, I asked if anyone in his class was allergic to peanuts. I was surprised when he said yes. I guess I expected a note from the teacher explaining that someone in the class was allergic to nuts.
During snack time, kids are given a choice between low fat white milk, low fat chocolate milk, or orange juice. The orange juice is the one concession made for students who are allergic to milk. Of course, it’s up to the student to pick out the drink they want. Given that my son’s school only has preschoolers, kindergartners, and first graders, I’m not sure that’s a very effective solution.
Other Allergens
What about that kid who’s allergic to dairy, eggs, sesame, fish, soy, wheat, or shellfish? Granted, most kids who are labeled as “allergic” to dairy are actually lactose intolerant…which is a whole different animal. Because more kids have peanut allergies and their reactions are often life threatening, peanuts get a lot of attention.
If a school decides to go peanut-free to protect its students (and teachers, aids, etc.) with peanut allergies, why shouldn’t they also ban the other big allergens? I think we need to balance the need for safety with desire to save time and money.
My Suggestion
It’s important for kids to eat every three or four hours. Well, honestly, it’s important for everyone to eat every three or four hours. Eating at regular intervals helps keep you from getting too hungry between meals. Hungry kids can’t focus or pay attention.
I suspect most schools are pretty good about providing food at regular intervals. My son’s school has an optional breakfast at 8:40am. My kid eats breakfast at home at 7am. School starts at 9am and lunch is between 11am and noon. Snack time is between 2pm and 3pm.
I realize I keep bringing up my son’s school, but it’s the only one I have experience with. I’d love to hear how your schools are handling these issues.
Rather than have food in the classroom where it’s difficult to control and segregate allergens properly, why not have the kids go to the cafeteria to eat?
While eating in the cafeteria (for breakfast, lunch, or snacks), it makes sense to set aside certain areas as peanut free. A lot of effort should be put into making sure the kids sitting at these tables don’t feel left out. All the tables in the cafeteria should be cleaned with actual cleanser (not just wiped down with a wet rag) between groups of kids. This is as much for basic food safety as allergen control.
A school cafeteria should provide balanced, nutritional meals for every student whose parents choose to purchase lunch there. That means there need to be options for kids with various allergies (not just nuts) as well as other dietary requirements (vegetarian, Kosher, Halal, diabetes, etc.).
I love the idea of celebrating holidays and such with non-food activities. It reinforces the idea that food is not a reward and that we don’t need frosting to have a good time.
For more on allergies and schools, check out these posts:
My name is Sandie Law. Why does saying "my name is" always feel like you're at an AA meeting? Anyway, I'm a busy mom who's passionate about food and kids. Hey, look! A whole page 
