BAS Poll: Food Allergies and Hot Lunch
Sep 4 2009 in BAS Polls, Food Allergy News by Ruth LovettSmith
We brown bag it to school every day. Now that my food allergic son is in the first grade he would like to (on occasion) buy the school hot lunch.
Last year he bought lunch one or two times and there were minor issues with each. Even though he should be able to participate in the school hot lunch program by law; the effort of dealing with multiple food allergies, reading labels, and last minute menu changes leaves me apprehensive. Add to that the fact that many food allergic deaths take place in schools-and it just doesn’t seem worth it.
This is the constant struggle I find myself in with managing food allergies, safety, and inclusion.
We’d like to know: does your food allergic child buy hot lunch?
Click here to follow a link to our forum poll and feel free to comment as to why you do or do not let your child buy school lunch.
If you wish not to comment you can also use the same poll below.
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Ange said on September 14, 2009
We have a very small school that our son goes to so every year I work with the parent volunteers to make sure the food is safe for all the children that attend including my severely nut allergic child. We spend a lot of time educating everyone so they know what is safe & what isn’t and what needs to be done to create a hot meal in a safe environment.
Ruth LovettSmith said on September 14, 2009
Ange,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting! I’m so happy to hear that you are able to work out a plan so that your food allergic son and others can have hot lunch. It’s great to hear success stories like these when it seems that it’s not the norm. Good for you!
Diane Gallant said on September 15, 2009
My autistic son has been gluten-free and dairy-free since 2001. Not until we removed gluten from his diet did he begin to talk. The GF/CF Diet is critical to his health and ability to excel in typical school. He has been GF/CF since 2001. No options exist for him to be able to eat lunch provided by school, and I feel much more comfortable by having control on what food is given him. I pack his lunch every day, and he eats far healthier than any child in his school. No sugary drinks or snacks, no food dyes, artificial flavorings, processed foods, etc. It’s just second nature….doesn’t have to be harder than if he did not have allergies. Most of all, his health is very strong since we removed gluten and dairy, and the few times he has become sick, recovery is much quicker
Ruth LovettSmith said on September 16, 2009
Diane,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I’m so happy to hear that your son is doing so well. It’s a common story heard from those dealing with Autism. Thank you for sharing.