[Sca-cooks] OOP More schools ban Peanut Butter

[rattkitten]

I just want to comment on this coming from the schools side.... (Being a 
chef for a school that is peanut free.)  
We already make sure that no one can get in to hurt them, we educate 
them, and we even keep certain foods from them.  (BTW there are also 
"Bans" in some places on other foods that the parents have NO FREAKING 
CLUE ABOUT!!!!!  ((Not yelling emphasizing!!!))   But I'll hit that in a 
minute....
We have to take 100% responsibility for these kids while they are in our 
care.  That means that for about 8 hours a day they become our kids.  
Think about that as well.... they spend about 10 hours sleeping, 8 hours 
with us.... that gives them about 6 hours with you 2 of which is eating, 
1 of which is bathing and some if applicable is chores or homework... So 
yeah generally we tend to over react about kids and allergies... but 
then multiply that by 200 -250 (we are a small school) then figure in 
that some parents won't think about telling the school, don't know, 
don't look hard enough at a label, or whatever..... Yes it is much 
easier to ban 1-2 items than to try and catch it in time.... Now to make 
the real point.....

    In a nut free school, teacher has a Hershey bar, (Check the label it 
is there), touches kid with allergy that doesn't have smart parents that 
said anything.... KID DIES....  Do you want to stand in those shoes when 
it comes time to make that phone call?

Now you can call me a reactionist but I consider myself safe... I check 
every label that comes in the kitchen, I am also diligent about checking 
things that parents bring in and that teachers bring in... (Yes there 
are NUTS in a Banana NUT Muffin) 

I was shocked when I found out that the popcorn at our house, (We have 
no ban there BTW), Listed almost every allergy possible for exposure.. 
(Peanut, Tree nut, Soy, Dairy, Egg, and a few others...) I was like... 
WTF? are they doing in that plant?  Luckily it doesn't matter at the 
house. 

But as someone that works in a Nut Free environment let me also urge you 
to not bring in the Nuts.  Do you really want to be THAT parent?  When 
the other phone call is made?  We won't tell that it was you but you 
will know.....
BTW If you are dealing with a Day Care.... Keep the Grapes, raisins, 
cubed pineapple, hot dog wienies, pretzel bites, uhmmm damn I need my 
list.... ah hell go look on the DSS list for your zone.... or ask the 
administrator in charge for the list of foods not allowed for what 
ages.  (CHOKING HAZARDS!!!!)
For anyone wanting to fuss about the ban I say Hey be Happy that we can 
Probably help the little buggers when they are choking on the toy that 
the idiot parents gave them to bring in that day!  "It won't hurt..."  
"RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!

Sorry someone pulled my cord....
Nichola


Daniel & Elizabeth Phelps wrote:
> Wow, this is weird- I had no idea people were so emotionally attatched 
> to peanut butter. Our oldest has a moderate peanut allergy, and her 
> school was generally very cooperative about making sure she didn't eat 
> anything with peanut butter and that her teacher had the training to 
> administer the Epi-Pen, and all the kids in _her class_ got handouts 
> to take home about peanut allergies. I think she had to sit at a 
> separate table in the cafeteria, which made me sad but there you are.
> The hostility really surprises me, though-perhaps all those people 
> should sit in the emergency room for seven hours overnight with a four 
> year old child having a reaction from a piece of unlabled candy. And 
> her six month old baby sister had to come with us too. It may have 
> taken so long because we were at the bottom of the triage list as the 
> Epi-Pen was already administered, they wouldn't tell us. BTW, for 
> anyone who doesn't know, the needle on the Epi-Pen is as big as a 
> piece of spaghetti, nearly.
> But why would people be so hostile to a not terribly unreasonable 
> public health issue? Are they that selfish and unsympathetic? This is 
> an honest question, I just don't get it. It's not about bad life 
> choices that children have made or about bad parenting, it's just 
> something that happens, and last I heard they had no idea why peanut 
> allergies have skyrocketed. We are lucky that our girl's allergy is 
> only moderate, there are much more severe ones out there. Eating a 
> peanut butter sandwich and breathing on someone can trigger it.
> Seeking Enlightenment,
> Isabella