Back to School and the Attack of the Killer Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Filed in archive Food Allergies on August 2, 2009

© Liz Henry

It's back to school soon and it's probably one of the most anxious times (second to Halloween, perhaps!) for parents of children with food allergies, particularly those with severe peanut allergies. Until peanut butter sandwiches, the classic lunch bag filler is completely banned in schools, this anxiety will never ease, year after year.

Are you being paranoid? Definitely not. The threat is real, and the risks are too high. But how do you make others see what you and your child are going through? Here's an article that might help you answers the common questions and complaints you might hear from other school parents: Attack of the Killer Peanut Butter Sandwiches

A few of your child's classmates have life-threatening food allergies, and it seems as though the entire school is being penalized for their misfortune. You just received a letter from the principal announcing that they're banning food in the classroom, food at class parties and food sharing at lunch time. They're setting up a special "allergen-free"table in the lunchroom. They're even considering banning peanuts and peanut butter altogether.

What's going on? Since when is peanut butter (the dietary mainstay of children across the country) a "killer food"? Why should the entire class or school be inconvenienced for the sake of a few kids? Why can't they just teach the kids with food allergies to watch what they eat?

Read the entire article here. It might be a good idea to have this distributed in your child's school. You can request for a reprint by emailing info@foodallergybooks.com.