My Mom, who used to be Assistant Superintendent, says nowadays they aren't supposed to allow home-cooked food of any kind, because they can't certify the cleanliness of Mom's kitchen or which ingredients she used. Only pre-packaged food is allowed, because it comes from an inspected and Health-Board-certified kitchen AND has an ingredient list.

But this wasn't for class consumption. This was a mother, packing Banana bread as her individual child's snack.

We can't send in cupcakes for the class etc., any more either, although as far as I know, that move grew out of our town's change in its food allergy policy.

There are peanut-butter free elementary schools. I know peanut allergies are on the rise, but are there THAT many children so allergic to peanuts that having peanut butter in the building is a risk?

This was a mother, packing Banana bread as her individual child's snack.

Oh, dear. I had to deal with the Food Police at my kids' private Montessori school (Little Sam is misbehaving because of the DEMON SUGAR!), but never in a public school.

are there THAT many children so allergic to peanuts that having peanut butter in the building is a risk?

This is my question, as well. I really don't remember any classmates being so allergic to peanuts that you couldn't eat a PB&J sandwich around them. If anyone had a food allergy (which I found fascinating, not being allergic myself), they knew to steer clear of that food and that was that--no need to bother anyone else. Have food allergies become epidemic in the past 20 years?

Heh:

"I kept thinking, 'Where's Walter Cronkite?' and all I had is Geraldo Rivera." --Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.)

t sigh So Comcast was supposed to send a technician out between 8 and 12 and call me at work when he arrived so I could run over and let him in. Have not recieved a call. Called Comcast, said they will contact the local dispatcher and have them contact me with an explanation. It's fifteen minutes later and I'm still waiting. I have feeling they're trying to call my home number, despite my telling them three times (when I logged the original ticket, when I called to verify last night and just now when I called to complain) to call my work number (and simultaneously gave it to them.)

Have food allergies become epidemic in the past 20 years?

It's not so much that they're epidemic as that the downside of being wrong may well be a kid dying. All you need is one kid in a school who's anaphylactically allergic to nuts, and visions of multimillion-dollar lawsuits dance in administrator's heads.

There are more peanut-allergic kids, yes, but they're also more likely to die horribly.

are there THAT many children so allergic to peanuts that having peanut butter in the building is a risk?

Peanut allergies can be VERY severe. My brother will break out in hives if there is an open jar of peanut butter in the room. If he accidentally ate some, he would most likely be dead before anyone could get to his Epipen.

(We worry less now that he's in college and knows how to look out for himself, but elementary school was scary.)

Only pre-packaged food is allowed, because it comes from an inspected and Health-Board-certified kitchen AND has an ingredient list.

We just learned that this is policy in our new school district. I was amazed -- we came from an elementary school in PA where home-baked snacks were totally the Thing To Do for parties and birthday treats.

We can't send in cupcakes for the class etc., any more either, although as far as I know, that move grew out of our town's change in its food allergy policy.

Huh. I can still take cupcakes into Emmett's class and Northern California usually leads the nation in food dictatorship.

Happy Birthday, Nutty! I, for one, am very glad that you were born.