# School and banned foods



## AnneD

Has the school your children go to banned any foods? If so, which ones and what do you do if your child doesn't have school dinners? 
Ours has banned the usual crisps and sweets, and peanuts, nuts, egg and celery due to alergies. Of course eggs and nuts are in so many things that lend themselves well to packed lunches and my kid has just developed an obsession with peanut butter on celery sticks. 
Does your school inspect lunch packs?


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## Zephram

At my DS1's school he's starting at in about 6 weeks and at the kindy he currently goes to, they have a nut ban. We don't get school dinners in NZ, so everyone has to pack a lunch. At first I thought it was silly that the non-allergic kids couldn't have a peanut butter sandwich, but the more I thought about it, the more I actually agree with the ban. There are allergic kids there who can have a reaction just by sitting next to someone who's eating nuts, so no matter how ridiculous it seems, it makes perfect sense in reality to ban them. Imagine if it was your child who was allergic, you'd be terrified to send them to school!

I don't think they inspect lunches at his kindy and school, so much as if they notice you're sending peanut butter sandwiches or nut bars, they will have a word to you. I wouldn't risk it, you really wouldn't want to have another child's life on your hands. Your DD can eat peanut butter at home to her heart's content - she will cope with not having it at school.


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## Wobbles

Seems over the top! Nuts are banned from the school which I totally understand, Caitlin loves PB but she can have it at home. Seems a little OTT and I've neve
r heard of eggs being banned.

The general crisps etc is the parents choice IMO and if they tried to tell me what my child could have for lunch I'd be having words; I'm the parent tyvm... when you say sweets do you include a little cake or biscuit? On my lazier days mine will have sandwich, crisps, fruit, yog and a small lunchbox size cake/biscuit!


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## LoraLoo

As far as im aware, our school does not have a nut or celery ban. Definitely not an egg ban as that was actually on todays hot dinner menu.
Only thing ours arent allowed is sweets/chocolate in packed lunches or fizzy juice.


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## CaptainMummy

Only thing not allowed in my daughters school is fizzy juice. Everything else is fine. Sweets, crisps, cakes, chocolate, you name it, the kids take it.


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## sevenofnine

That would drive me crazy and seems unreasonable. I understand some kids have allergies, but at a certain point it may be better just to have those kids eat separately. I would rather my child eat separately anyway to avoid risk if she had an allergy.

Eggs, celery... really?! I even understand the nuts but the rest is ridiculous imo.


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## Natsku

I'm not sure if anything is banned at Maria's school. They all have school dinners, no packed lunches, but those that have longer days (5+ hours I think) are allowed to bring a snack for the afternoon and it just suggests bringing some bread or fruit but there's no ban list. Maybe they give more information once your child starts having longer days, dunno.


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## becsboo

only fizzy drinks here


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## Vickie

The only thing banned her is nuts which I understand and I don't send in food with nuts. 

Last year I did receive notes from both kids classes advising us of the allergies (to be made aware and to try not to send in stuff with that in it but it was not a ban). Between the kids we had egg, nut, shellfish, fish, and dairy. :huh: I kept with no nuts but if I adhered to that list my kids would have nothing to eat!


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## Button#

We have the same bans as you. There are severely allergic kids in the school and if kids don't wash their hands properly after eating eggs or nuts they can have a very serious reaction. 
We struggled at the beginning as my DS would only eat peanut butter sandwiches but we've got a couple of sandwiches we can give him plus his fruit and yoghurt.


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## Button#

I think they do check up on lunchboxes here as we've had a couple of letters reminding parents that Nutella has nuts in it.


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## Natasha2605

Just nuts at our school!


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## Wobbles

Button# said:


> I think they do check up on lunchboxes here as we've had a couple of letters reminding parents that Nutella has nuts in it.

They may as well sprinkle sugar over the bread. I hate that my eldest loves this horrible stuff.


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## c1403

Nuts are banned and given the seriousness of some allergies I think this should be the case.
I don't think eggs are although I guess it depends on how serious a child's allergy is.


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## MindUtopia

Honestly, I'm not even sure really as we don't do packed lunches. Snacks are provided and we do school dinners. I know we can't send any drinks but water, which I think sounds reasonable to me. But if they are banning foods due to allergies, then that's a pretty good reason. No child should have to sit alone in another room to each just so their friends can have peanut butter sandwiches. If anything, it's a good excuse to expand the things they like to eat and try new things that aren't on the banned list.


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## AnneD

Zephram said:


> I wouldn't risk it, you really wouldn't want to have another child's life on your hands. Your DD can eat peanut butter at home to her heart's content - she will cope with not having it at school.

Jeez, I wasn't complaining, I was just curious what situation other people are in, and I find it rather funny that the moment my kid gets crazy about celery and peanut butter, they ban them. Obviously I don't send her in with anything that's banned, as I wouldn't want to endanger another child and I have enough trouble in life without adding to it stuff like this. Also school rules are school rules, however much I disagree with some of them.

But I am fed up having stuff sent home because 'it could contain' something banned (even though it doesn't), and I think a ban on sweets is pointless when school dinners have dessert every day (even stuff like cake, hello eggs). And seeing as there is a coeliac in her class, and a few lactose intollerant students, I do wonder what's up with not banning all wheat and dairy (which would of course be too much trouble for school dinners, so that would be why). They've confiscated stuff like mixed veg bolognese as it could contain celery (it was fennel) and an teeny square of egg-free sponge cake because of no sweets rule and because it could contain egg. School dinner dessert on that day was chocolate fudge cake: go figure.


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## Wobbles

It does seem extreme unless they have a child in the school with a severe allergy to something other than nuts. I think all school bans nuts so avoid PB, cereal bars with nuts, nut butters.

This was an interesting find:
https://whatallergy.com/2011-04/celeryallergy


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## Sarahcake

We have the standard ban on nuts, which is fair enough as a nut allergy is absolutely brutal but they haven't banned anything else yet. When we first signed up for school dinners, they told us they tailor the banned list on what their currently children's needs are. Nuts are always banned as an allergy can develop very suddenly and be very serious but unless another parent has approached and said ok my child is allergic to XYZ they don't ban it, which is sensible I think. Logan has school dinners but if I got pulled to one side by a teacher and asked not to include celery for example because a child in his class is allergic, that would be totally fine.


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## WackyMumof2

Our school has bans on soft drink and candy, the kindy has a ban on candy, juice, soft drink, candy and yoghurt which doesn't worry me. Nuts only IF there is a student of concern. It can get frustrating but I would also expect the same respect of parents if it were my child. Nut allergies though rare can be serious and kids will be kids and they share and swap lunches. They don't understand. Segregation isn't fair because it can have a negative impact on young kids. I think as a parent all we can do is accept it and deal with it.


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## Bumpontherun

WackyMumof2 said:


> Our school has bans on soft drink and candy, the kindy has a ban on candy, juice, soft drink, candy and yoghurt which doesn't worry me. Nuts only IF there is a student of concern. It can get frustrating but I would also expect the same respect of parents if it were my child. Nut allergies though rare can be serious and kids will be kids and they share and swap lunches. They don't understand. Segregation isn't fair because it can have a negative impact on young kids. I think as a parent all we can do is accept it and deal with it.

Nuts are banned in our school which I'm fine with. I have one child on school dinners and one on packed lunches (school dinners are free for first 3 years but once my daughter hit p4 I refused to pay for the food they serve!). I would never give my kids fizzy drinks anyway but I would be livid if they introduced a sweets/crisps ban - it's my choice as a parent what I feed my kids. On the days my younger daughter is getting a dessert at school I give my elder a bit of brownie or a jelly. They rarely get crips but very occasionally I will give Pom Bears or Quavers as a snack.

OP if our school was as restrictive (and inconsistent) as yours I would complain - especially when you are going to the trouble of making egg free sponge. 

Whilst I totally agree with avoiding allergens in kids with anaphylaxsis I don't agree with the point above about kids sharing food. One of the girls in my 5 yr olds class has a severe nut allergy. She has been coming to parties with us for 2 years and always tells me about her allergy and asks about foods she's not sure of. My daughter also remembers about it. I think kids do need to be encouraged to take responsibility for this becuase they won't always be in a closed environemnt like a school.


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## AnneD

Bumpontherun: I am planning on saying something. I think the egg and celery ban is an overreaction and it seems the school lunches are exempt.
I also agree with you about the food sharing issue. Kids are not allowed to share food at school, and in my opinion the parents of children with allergies also have the responsibility to teach their children to not take food from anyone as it may not be safe. My friend's son, who is severely allergic to several foods, has been drilled from an early age to not take food from anyone unless his parents have approved it. He is not yet 4 and he has never taken anything from anyone, not in the playground, not at a party or a picnic. His family happily eat all the stuff he is allergic to around him. There is no need for segregation, they are just careful and sensible. 
I don't mind the crisps ban as I don't give crisps anyway, but I do object to them confiscating home-made cake (not that I'd give it often) when school lunches have dessert every day and it's often cake or biscuit.


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## CaptainMummy

I found out there is a boy in my daughters class with a nut allergy... yet nuts aren't banned which I find weird!


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## noon_child

AnneD said:


> seeing as there is a coeliac in her class, and a few lactose intollerant students, I do wonder what's up with not banning all wheat and dairy (which would of course be too much trouble for school dinners, so that would be why).

Coeliac disease and lactose intolerance aren't allergies. Trying to digest these foods causes illness. These children will not be having a life threatening reaction from touching wheat and dairy with their hands or mouths, or being touched by those who have themselves eaten these foods - which could be the case in a severe nut or egg allergy.


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## Rags

Ds's school has a nut ban - think that's pretty normal as it doesn't need to be eaten to cause a severe reaction (unlike dairy intolerance, celiac etc), apart from that no fizzy drinks, everything else is at the parent's discretion. Ds takes grapes for a play piece, cheese sandwich, crisps, small sweet (chocolate raisins, small bag haribo or such) and a bottle of grape juice - he only ever eats the sandwich at school and finishes the rest when he gets home.


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## loeylo

noon_child said:


> AnneD said:
> 
> 
> seeing as there is a coeliac in her class, and a few lactose intollerant students, I do wonder what's up with not banning all wheat and dairy (which would of course be too much trouble for school dinners, so that would be why).
> 
> Coeliac disease and lactose intolerance aren't allergies. Trying to digest these foods causes illness. These children will not be having a life threatening reaction from touching wheat and dairy with their hands or mouths, or being touched by those who have themselves eaten these foods - which could be the case in a severe nut or egg allergy.Click to expand...

Came here to say this. My dd has cmpa (cows milk protein allergy) which is I guess what you mean by lactose intolerance, which is incredibly rare in children. My dd can touch milk or milk products and can be around others eating it, she can even tolerate to digest very small amounts of dairy in her diet. My dd is of the more severe end of the spectrum and I've never heard of anyone having an anaphylactic reaction to milk, however celery and eggs CAN cause these types of reactions. As can nuts obviously. 

I work in a high school and we have kids who have some strange allergies however we haven't banned anything, but the kids I teach are 11+ so it's different.

Whilst obviously it's best that children are aware what they can't eat, some might not have the capacity to understand the implications, for example if a child has autism or another condition.

In terms of the fatty/sugary snacks, it's done to protect children who don't have parents who ensure that they eat a balanced diet. Whilst I know most parents who spend time on internet parenting forums probably are aware of what a healthy diet entails, unfortunately many parents don't. Look at childhood obesity rates. Schools are tasked with improving the health and wellbeing of pupils and one way they do that is encouraging healthy eating habits.


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## WackyMumof2

Bumpontherun said:


> WackyMumof2 said:
> 
> 
> Our school has bans on soft drink and candy, the kindy has a ban on candy, juice, soft drink, candy and yoghurt which doesn't worry me. Nuts only IF there is a student of concern. It can get frustrating but I would also expect the same respect of parents if it were my child. Nut allergies though rare can be serious and kids will be kids and they share and swap lunches. They don't understand. Segregation isn't fair because it can have a negative impact on young kids. I think as a parent all we can do is accept it and deal with it.
> 
> Nuts are banned in our school which I'm fine with. I have one child on school dinners and one on packed lunches (school dinners are free for first 3 years but once my daughter hit p4 I refused to pay for the food they serve!). I would never give my kids fizzy drinks anyway but I would be livid if they introduced a sweets/crisps ban - it's my choice as a parent what I feed my kids. On the days my younger daughter is getting a dessert at school I give my elder a bit of brownie or a jelly. They rarely get crips but very occasionally I will give Pom Bears or Quavers as a snack.
> 
> OP if our school was as restrictive (and inconsistent) as yours I would complain - especially when you are going to the trouble of making egg free sponge.
> 
> Whilst I totally agree with avoiding allergens in kids with anaphylaxsis I don't agree with the point above about kids sharing food. One of the girls in my 5 yr olds class has a severe nut allergy. She has been coming to parties with us for 2 years and always tells me about her allergy and asks about foods she's not sure of. My daughter also remembers about it. I think kids do need to be encouraged to take responsibility for this becuase they won't always be in a closed environemnt like a school.Click to expand...

It's the Kindy that has a ban on all that sort of thing. Cakes and cookies they don't have an issue with but it's soft drink, yoghurts (because 6 kids with yoghurt can make for a VERY messy clean up operation and they go watery in Summer), candies etc. The ban is there because the kids who don't get it tend to cause issues with the kids that do. Honestly, if you can avoid a dozen screaming 3 year olds, then by all means do by avoiding the high sugar foods! I wouldn't want to be working with screaming 3 year olds who feel like they have 'missed out'. :haha: But the Kindy are also quite flexible too and do shared lunches and parties where that stuff is allowed. But more often than not, unless one of these are scheduled, then it's focus is on lunches that are as healthy as possible and I like that. :)


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## WackyMumof2

loeylo said:


> Came here to say this. My dd has cmpa (cows milk protein allergy) which is I guess what you mean by lactose intolerance, which is incredibly rare in children. My dd can touch milk or milk products and can be around others eating it, she can even tolerate to digest very small amounts of dairy in her diet.

I find this too! My eldest is Lactose Intolerant but it plays up mainly when he's sick or stressed. At the moment, he can't do ordinary milk so he's on soy for the next 6 months but he is able to hold down Ultra Pasteurized long life milk which myself and his teacher find weird. :shrug: DS3 on the other hand, has Cow's Milk Allergy and is on Goat formula as milk gives him a very sore tummy, rashes on occasion and excessive vomiting. Doctor is pretty sure it's not Lactose Intolerance (because an allergy is something you have for life or something. He did explain it but can't remember) though he CAN have small amounts of chocolate, cookies, cakes etc. Cow's Milk based products (as in milk, yoghurt, cheese etc) we tend to avoid more often than not but will on a very rare occasion, get a little bit as a treat but not enough to give him a sore tummy. He loves chocolate milk but we always make that a third milk, 2 thirds water when he does get it. It makes him stink and a little unsettled but doesn't cause him any pain as such when we water it down like that.


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