Banned Peanut Butter in Schools

dbkrantz
dbkrantz Posts: 138
in Chit-Chat
Hi,

One of my colleagues, who has kids, told me that peanut butter had been banned from the school.

The rational behind that was that if a kid exchanged his PB sandwich with someone else, the other kid could be allergic and could be seriously sick.

What do you guys think about that?

Looking forward to reading your thoughts!

Thanks,
Deborah
«13

Replies

  • notworthstalking
    notworthstalking Posts: 531 Member
    One of the little girls in my eldests kids class is very allergic. Basically touching another kids hand or even pencils if they have recently had peanut butter could cause a life threatening reaction. So while it is a pain in the *kitten* , we aren't sending peanut butter sandwiches or the like to school this year. It's hard because my daughter is fussy and could do with the fats and protien , but she can eat nuts all she wants at home.
  • lyrics09
    lyrics09 Posts: 217 Member
    I'm actually allergic to peanut butter and all products with peanuts etc so I fully understand and support this rule. I have had it all my life. It started out just small reactions from eating, evolved to touching it would cause a bad rash, then I would get sick to my stomach eating/touching it. By time puberty hit I'd get a headache if I smelled it too long in a room with me, if I ate it I'd have a anaphylactic reatcion and have to be rushed to the E.R. By end of high school just breathing in would trigger the anaphylactic reaction. The epi-pens I have used to be good enough to skip the E.R trip now I barely make it to there in time before my throat closes.

    I used to teach Pre-K as well and I had NO idea what things parents packed for their children. It got pretty nerve wracking trying to watch for my own safety as well as any children that had no idea if they were allergic or not. When I was younger I was a pretty rare case of an allergy to peanut butter but now these days its almost 40% of children I come across are allergic. (No idea what has really changed that drastically to cause that rise)

    So yeah I can see where swapping food would be hard to monitor let alone a child with just contact allergies. Its too risky and common of an allergy to really risk a life. But I can see how some people who love peanut butter for its convenience and enjoyable'ness would be bummed. (Trust me I'd LOVE to try a Reese's or payday if I could and live lol)

    You'd be surprised how many adults in educational settings have NO idea what to do with an epi-pen. I've been stabbing myself to save my own life since I was 15. In total, I think I've had about a dozen trips to the E.R over this allergy. Mostly due to poorly marked foods, and about 3 trips due to someone else eating it or baking it around me.

    You can't pick what you're allergic to sadly so *shrug*. PS TRICK-OR-TREATING SUCKED.
  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
    My daughter's school is the same... Not just sandwiches, also crackers and candies... peanut butter and strawberry for her class personally. I find it really annoying... and I know there were people with allergies when I went to school. I remember banana, strawberry, peanut butter, and cherry allergies off hand from my elementary school... but at the same time I understand the rationale and try to keep my mutterings under my breath around her...
  • riirii93_
    riirii93_ Posts: 475 Member
    When I was a kid in the early 2000s they had a 'peanut free' table for kids w peanut allergies to sit at. Lol it was like quarantine they hated it cause they couldn't sit w their friends.
  • lyrics09
    lyrics09 Posts: 217 Member
    When I was a kid in the early 2000s they had a 'peanut free' table for kids w peanut allergies to sit at. Lol it was like quarantine they hated it cause they couldn't sit w their friends.

    lol sounds so terrible. All my friends learned to just be overly cautious, even more than I was. They'd freak over lots of labels.
  • PurringMyrrh
    PurringMyrrh Posts: 5,276 Member
    It's a shame, but I understand. People with severe alleries to it can die just from kissing someone else who has recently eaten it. Scary.
  • CamilleJackie350
    CamilleJackie350 Posts: 124
    I think it's unfair to the other children.

    Just because a select few kids have allergies to "____ food" doesn't mean that the other kids in the entire school should not be able to eat them during school time.
  • dbkrantz
    dbkrantz Posts: 138
    Thank you so much for your answers guys, I love it.

    I tend to agree with the fact that it's unfair to other kids. I was born and raised in France so that is very different already.

    In France, you get served a balanced meal at lunch. It's not a thing for kids to bring their own lunches. So everybody gets the same meal generally. That being said, if a kid is allergic to anything, the staff is notified and will see him and give him something else.

    Again, in France, they serve a balanced meal such as this one:http://www.nolafrancaise.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/dejeuner-blog.jpg

    You would not find peanut butter sandwichs in that case but it does happen the same way for people allergic to fish for example.
  • Alisontheice
    Alisontheice Posts: 9,611 Member
    Schools here are all peanut free. I think there has been cases of children getting very sick or worse and now everything is peanut free.

    It's a bit annoying to have to make sure everything you send your child is labelled as peanut free but it's not the end of the world and just seems normal now.
  • bloodyhonest
    bloodyhonest Posts: 196 Member
    good riddance ! It's not the end of the world if a kid can't eat pb at school.
  • missdibs1
    missdibs1 Posts: 1,092 Member
    Hi,

    One of my colleagues, who has kids, told me that peanut butter had been banned from the school.

    The rational behind that was that if a kid exchanged his PB sandwich with someone else, the other kid could be allergic and could be seriously sick.

    What do you guys think about that?

    Looking forward to reading your thoughts!

    Thanks,
    Deborah

    Not having peanut butter sandwiches in grammar school must stink (I ate them every day) Thanks MOM (love you)
  • jamesryanfletcher
    jamesryanfletcher Posts: 128 Member
    Contrasting not having a very common allergen at school against the potentially fatal consequences of anaphylaxis, if the school had a student or staff member known to be anaphylactic to a particular allergen, banning it would seem to be prudent.
  • SuperstarDJ
    SuperstarDJ Posts: 443 Member
    When my son was in preschool, there was a kid who was severely allergic to peanuts so we were told we couldn't even give our kids PB for breakfast because it could trigger a reaction. Although I felt it was unfair, especially as PB was one of my son's staples at the time, the child with the allergy has a right to socialise and be educated.
  • bloodyhonest
    bloodyhonest Posts: 196 Member
    I think it's unfair to the other children.

    Just because a select few kids have allergies to "____ food" doesn't mean that the other kids in the entire school should not be able to eat them during school time.


    lol, yes, it's not fair for these kids, they should have the right to put other kids in danger because of their love for pb. We all know that pb is an essential part of a child's growth experience (for the ones who aren't allergic).
  • jnichel
    jnichel Posts: 4,553 Member
    Good. I hate peanut butter.

    zq6LL5m.gif
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
    Good. I hate peanut butter.

    zq6LL5m.gif

    So you don't want anyone else to have it because you don't like it?

    makes sense.
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
    I think it's unfair to the other children.

    Just because a select few kids have allergies to "____ food" doesn't mean that the other kids in the entire school should not be able to eat them during school time.

    i would agree if peanut allergies couldn't kill someone. but since it is a life and death thing and not a rash or hives or other allergic reaction, I think this one makes sense, especially for children of a young age who cannot fully grasp such severe consequences yet.
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
    If it didn't cause such violent reactions in some people allergic to it, I'd be upset about the ban, but I certainly wouldn't want a kid or someone else to have a serious reaction to something just because I'm being stubborn.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    I get it in elemettary schools, when kids may or may not know enough but come middle school, kids should know what they are allergic to and be able to avoid it.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    I don't see a problem with it. Young kids probably don't fully grasp the consequences of allergies. I'd hate for a kid to die or something just because of a lunch sandwich.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    While it sucks for everyone... the kid with the allergy... the parents that feel like they are being food police to protect their kids... the kids who are super picky and the parents that have to pack their kids lunch... I would rather work around it than to be partially responsible for a kid dying or become seriously injured over something I gave my kid.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I agree with it. My kids don't have peanut / nut allergies but if they did damn straight I wouldn't want it anywhere near them. All the schools here are "nut-free".

    I buy my kids WOWBUTTER. Tastes like peanut butter but made with soy so it is school safe and it even comes with stickers to attach to your sandwich bag/container. They don't even miss it.

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSIm5gSV06-Pb6YfbaGfH7OyGETUgT103Z0yGb6avXpW2RNCNH5
  • MomTo3Lovez
    MomTo3Lovez Posts: 800 Member
    It wouldn't bother me and my daughter is a big PB sandwich fan for lunch, but if it came to be at her school she would either figure out something else to eat for lunch or just not eat, kids will live not bringing PB to school.
  • MomTo3Lovez
    MomTo3Lovez Posts: 800 Member
    I agree with it. My kids don't have peanut / nut allergies but if they did damn straight I wouldn't want it anywhere near them. All the schools here are "nut-free".

    I buy my kids WOWBUTTER. Tastes like peanut butter but made with soy so it is school safe and it even comes with stickers to attach to your sandwich bag/container. They don't even miss it.

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSIm5gSV06-Pb6YfbaGfH7OyGETUgT103Z0yGb6avXpW2RNCNH5

    Never even heard of that...will have to see if I can find it by me.
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  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I agree with it. My kids don't have peanut / nut allergies but if they did damn straight I wouldn't want it anywhere near them. All the schools here are "nut-free".

    I buy my kids WOWBUTTER. Tastes like peanut butter but made with soy so it is school safe and it even comes with stickers to attach to your sandwich bag/container. They don't even miss it.

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSIm5gSV06-Pb6YfbaGfH7OyGETUgT103Z0yGb6avXpW2RNCNH5

    Never even heard of that...will have to see if I can find it by me.

    I live in Canada but I can find it in most grocery stores, I can't remember if it is by the peanut butter or in the health food section. According to their website it is also available in the US.

    http://www.soybutter.com/wowbutter.html

    You can also order it on Amazon.

    My kids like it. It's a little more grainy in texture than regular peanut butter but it's not bad at all.
  • walterm852
    walterm852 Posts: 409 Member
    I have 4 healthy kids, one of which has a peanut allergy. Its a pain in the neck. It sucks for him, and for the other 3 non allergic ones as well. Something has happened in our food/drug chain that has dramatically affect the numbers and severity of the condition. The occurrence of peanut and tree nut allergies seems to have tripled between 1997 and 2008 according to many sources.

    You may be surprised that many schools do it because they are obligated to provide a safe environment for all kids and they dont want to deal with allergic reactions because teachers refuse to administer the Epi pens. Literally, all you do is stick it in their thigh. Check out this quick Google link below, in Ca they wanted to add an Epi pen to a schools First Aid kit and train 1, yep...just 1 staff member, and the teachers union is against it. (BTW, not a teacher basher).

    http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/04/28/bill-to-require-epipens-in-pubic-schools-faces-opposition-from-teachers-union/.

    Its not the peanut butter sandwiches, its the incredible looking cookie that the 6yr old buddy swears is peanut free, some candy corn, some jelly beans, Twinkies, pesto (tree nut), etc. I almost gave my son a Mango ice not knowing it was a tree nut classification.

    We dont expect bans at all, we feel its our obligation to bring peanut free desserts to school and family events. When we go to a baseball game, if people around us are eating peanuts and shells are flying, we dont say a word and try to rearrange seats, we even left good seats, went to guest services and changed seats to seat comfortably. But gives us a break too when it comes to peanut shells flying all over the place at ball parks and others just dont care if their child is inconvenienced for not being able to bring peanut butter cookies to class for a birthday..

    Lastly, thanks to all the food establishments that get it. It means a lot when ice cream places take care in preparation, even though its become normal, its still much appreciated
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Hi,

    One of my colleagues, who has kids, told me that peanut butter had been banned from the school.

    The rational behind that was that if a kid exchanged his PB sandwich with someone else, the other kid could be allergic and could be seriously sick.

    What do you guys think about that?

    Looking forward to reading your thoughts!

    Thanks,
    Deborah

    I personally love peanut butter, but I totally agree...it is also banned from many if not most day care facilities. My youngest child is very allergic to peanuts and we have to carry an epi pen at all times. He doesn't even need to eat the peanut or peanut butter...if you have a peanut butter sandwich and then give him a kiss on the cheek he blows up like a marshmallow and can't breath (guess how we found out he was allergic).

    It's a very serious thing and I am always fearful that my kid is going to get a hold of some peanuts or something and that his life will be taken from us. Even more frightening is the number of products that contain peanuts...fortunately he hasn't had any reactions to trace sources.
  • walterm852
    walterm852 Posts: 409 Member
    Sunbutter is a favorite at school, its made with Sunflower kernals
  • jnichel
    jnichel Posts: 4,553 Member
    Good. I hate peanut butter.

    zq6LL5m.gif

    So you don't want anyone else to have it because you don't like it?

    makes sense.

    'Murica! :laugh:

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