The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 4-6% of children have food allergies that can lead to anaphylaxis–an acute allergic reaction that can be life-threatening. There are over 170 foods that can cause anaphylaxis. 90% of these foods are clustered in eight main food items: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, wheat, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts. Peanuts and tree nuts are the cause of most emergency room visits due to anaphylaxis.

There are two main avenues that the food allergen takes into the child. One, the child eats something with the allergen in it. Sometimes the food allergen is obvious…peanut butter cookies are a no-no, but sometimes it is not obvious. Snickerdoodles do not have peanuts in them, but if they were cooked on a pan with peanut residue on it, the snickerdoodles are now a vehicle for the allergen. Two, the child touches the food allergen and then transfers the allergen to their mouth. This can happen with something as simple as one child eating peanut butter touches the table and leaves a tiny smear. The child with the allergy unknowingly touches the smear and touches their own food.

If we follow the guidelines below, we can minimize the risk of an anaphylactic reaction for any of our children. By the way, 25% of the emergency room visits for anaphylaxis are for children who do not have a diagnosed food allergy. So, these guidelines might help us all.

1. Wash our hands with soap and water before and after any meal or snack. Hand sanitizer does not eliminate food allergens.
2. Consider snacks and meals that do not contain food allergens, especially peanuts and tree nuts.
3. Do not share our food.

Within the classrooms, we will wipe down the tables before classes start. We will also designate some allergen-free tables. The CDC states that it is impossible to guarantee an allergen-free school, but we can certainly minimize the risk.