Isn't it wonderful to read things like, "proactive", "district-wide awareness", and "inclusion of all children"?
"Advocating for Allergy Education", published in the Valley News Dispatch, discusses numerous districts in the Pittsburgh PA area and how they handle food allergies.
I like what I'm reading and hope to see more school districts promote education and acceptance when it comes to food allergies. Read it and see what you think. For those of you who don't have a school district that is quite so understanding, use some of the phrases from this article to talk to your school officials.
Showing posts with label managing food allergies in school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label managing food allergies in school. Show all posts
School Carnivals, Picnics and Parties, Oh My!
The school carnival is this week. I'm in charge of food this year, because I figured if I organized it, I'd be in the know. Yeah, not so fast. "We must have popcorn", I was told because the smell of the popcorn popping is "so carnival-like". Okay, I rented the machine and got the popcorn. Does artificial butter flavor contain any dairy? "No" says the popcorn company representative. Of course I have no way of knowing what else has been put in the rented machine and no idea how well it's been cleaned. Confidence level on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being totally confident?- a 2. I'll bring safe popcorn.
We're also serving water ice which is basically sugar, high fructose corn syrup and dyes. Our school has started distributing, via e-mail, ingredient lists of foods served to students at these special events. Interesting responses. Some parents who don't need to look at food labels on a regular basis are surprised about what's in some of these foods (ie: long chemical names, high fructose corn syrup, etc.) One mother of a diabetic son asked if carbohydrate and sugar content could be included in the lists going to parents.
I think our school needs to develop a form that captures all food concerns that families have. That information then goes out to all families so they can plan appropriately.
How do your schools handle this? Is it working?
We're also serving water ice which is basically sugar, high fructose corn syrup and dyes. Our school has started distributing, via e-mail, ingredient lists of foods served to students at these special events. Interesting responses. Some parents who don't need to look at food labels on a regular basis are surprised about what's in some of these foods (ie: long chemical names, high fructose corn syrup, etc.) One mother of a diabetic son asked if carbohydrate and sugar content could be included in the lists going to parents.
I think our school needs to develop a form that captures all food concerns that families have. That information then goes out to all families so they can plan appropriately.
How do your schools handle this? Is it working?
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