1. Keeping Children Safe at School
Food Allergies
Keeping Children Safe at School
Megan Schaper, SNS
August 15, 2007

2. What is an Allergy?
A food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body's immune system.
Allergic reactions to food can sometimes cause serious illness and death.

3. What ISN’T an Allergy?
Adverse reactions to food that do not involve the immune system are not allergies. These may be:
Food poisoning
The inability for digest certain foods (Lactose Intolerance, PKU, Celiac Disease)

4. Quick Facts 11 million Americans have food allergies.
Food allergy occurs in 4 to 8 percent of children under the age of 4 and 2 to 4 percent of adults.
The prevalence of food allergy is increasing.

5. Food allergy causes roughly 30,000 episodes of anaphylaxis and
Quick Facts
Food allergy causes roughly
30,000 episodes of anaphylaxis and
100 to 200 deaths per year
in the United States.
Anaphylaxis: a severe, sometimes life-threatening, allergic reaction that occurs within minutes of exposure to an offending substance

6. Peanuts and tree nuts, such as cashews, cause most cases of
Quick Facts
Peanuts and tree nuts, such as
walnuts, almonds and
cashews, cause most cases of
severe food allergic
reactions.

7. Quick Facts Currently, the only ways to manage food allergies are to:
avoid the foods
that cause reactions
treat the symptoms
caused by allergic
reactions.

8. The Big 8 The most common food allergens are: Fish Shellfish Milk Eggs
Soy
Wheat
Peanuts
Tree Nuts

9. Food Allergy Triggers
People with food allergies can experience a reaction as a result of:
Ingesting the allergen
Touching the allergen
Inhaling the allergen
A reaction can be induced by as little as 1/5,000 of
a teaspoon of the allergy causing food.

10. Symptoms of a Reaction
Symptoms typically appear within minutes to two hours after a person has been exposed to the food.
Every child is different and will react differently.

11. Symptoms of a Reaction Tingling sensation in the mouth
Swelling of the tongue and throat
Difficulty breathing
Hives
Vomiting
Abdominal cramps
Diarrhea
Drop in blood pressure
Loss of consciousness
Death

12. Managing Allergies in the School Cafeteria
Identify the Student & Allergens
Know What to Avoid and Substitute
Read Labels
Avoid Cross Contamination
Know What to Do in the Event
of a Food Allergic Reaction

13. Identify the Student
Parents provide a physician’s statement outlining the foods to be avoided and appropriate substitutes.
An allergy plan, provided by the parents and including a picture of the child, is posted in the kitchen and reviewed with all staff.
An allergy alert is added to the child’s POS account.

14. Know What to Avoid & Substitute
The parent reviews the menu and ingredient listings with the food service director to determine what foods to avoid.
If food substitutions are required, the parent provides a monthly menu with modifications noted.

15. Reading Labels
Federal law requires labels to clearly identify the source of all ingredients that are — or are derived from — the eight most common food allergens.
Manufactures may change ingredients often and without warning – re-check the label each time a product is served.

16. Avoid Cross Contamination
Change gloves and wash hands each time a new food item is to be prepared.
Thoroughly clean production areas between the preparation of each menu item.
Designate an area/cart for making peanut butter sandwiches. Don’t use the area for any other food production.

17. Avoid Cross Contamination
Do not reuse cleaning clothes after they have been used to wipe up potential allergens until they have been washed in a washing machine.
Wash utensils thoroughly after they come in contact with potential allergens.
Dispose of any food items that have been cross contaminated.

18. The Three Rs for Handling a Reaction
Recognize the symptoms
React quickly - Contact the school nurse so that the student’s allergy action plan can be implemented.
In an emergency, dial
Review what caused the reaction and how well the emergency plan worked
Initially mild symptoms may not be an indication of the severity of the overall reaction.

19. Student Safety Is In Our Hands
It is the law.
But more importantly…
It’s the right thing to do.