294053 Wed Sep 10 16:53:07 -0700 2003 16 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1611524 No, it's not the mad food scientists trying to "improve" it into extinction this time, it's the purveyors of political correctness. The SF Chronicle today reported on how more and more schools are banning any form of nuts in school lunches, even holding lunchbox inspections. Link: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/09/10/BA171952.DTL Wed Sep 10 16:53:07 -0700 2003 0 Gary Soup 1 1611535 This is one in a series of articles in the Chron regarding this issue. I've attached a link from Tuesday. There's a quote at the end that I particularly like: "Look," says Kathryn Stewart, a clinical psychologist who works with special education high school students, "my son (now 15) is allergic to peanuts and an alumni of Valle Verde. This kind of nonsense makes me crazy. "By kindergarten, and certainly by first grade, my son was able to say, 'What is in that?' " she said. "Searching a lunch box is insane. This goes to personal responsibility not changing the rest of the world to fit you." Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/09/09/MN79933.DTL Wed Sep 10 18:54:53 -0700 2003 1611524 0 sgirl 2 1611581 Regarding nobody being allowed to carry a peanut butter sandwich any more: I remember learning once in some child development course that an infant learns two ways to adjust to the world, autoplastically by adjusting himself to his environment (learns to self-soothe) and alloplastically by causing adjustments in his environment (learns to signal his parents that he needs them to bring him some food). This paradigm has stayed with me as one defining how grownups operate as well and if you bear it in mind you will observe an amazing number of people who think it's okay to bend the entire world to their own needs rather than adjust themselves to the world. Maybe a child so sensitive to peanuts that he is in mortal danger from the mere smell of peanut butter should be home-schooled. Thu Sep 11 08:56:58 -0700 2003 1611535 0 N Tocus 1 1611547 Does anyone know why peanut allergies seem to be much more common and more severe nowadays? I tried to google it up, but got a bunch of unhelpful stuff, like ads for the EpiPen, etc. The baseball stadium the Brockton Rox play in (Brockton, Mass.) actually has a peanut-free seating section -- you can't buy peanuts in that section even if you're not allergic. This is because some of their fans have 'airborne peanut allergy' -- that is, if those people so much as smell peanuts, they'll have a severe reaction. Has anyone else heard of this? Wed Sep 10 21:27:14 -0700 2003 1611524 0 Laughing Goddess 2 1611552 i had a friend die from his peanut allergy while we were in high school. he was extremely diligent about reading labels and writing letters. what killed him was a piece of christmas candy manufactured on a conveyer belt that had previously carried an item containing nuts. so, nuts were not listed as ingredients on this candy but his allergy was so severe that it killed him within minutes. a lot of foods are now labeled 'made in a facility that handles peanuts' or soy. this helps people with severe allergies make informed decisions. to answer your question, while in middle school a new student ate a peanut butter sandwich and then introduced himself, sending my friend into a reaction. allergic people cannot wear a sign that says 'i have these allergies' but i still eat peanut products and have to admit that i'm not asking everyone i encounter if its ok to breathe on them. Wed Sep 10 22:03:51 -0700 2003 1611547 0 renee 3 1611578 Looking for a reason behind the explosion of food allergies is a hot topic with not a lot of concrete answers. The most solid research shows it is an effect of our increasing reliance on overprocessed, nutritionally deficient foods. Environmental changes have also been linked to it. But there is still a great amount of research to be done on the subject. Thu Sep 11 08:26:53 -0700 2003 1611552 0 baruch 4 1611589 The research that I've seen actually states that there is no statistical proof that there is an increase in food allergies. Rather, it is the noticing and reporting that have gotten better over time. In the specific case of peanut (a legume) allergies it appears that the Roasting of the peanuts in some way causes the allergen. The instances of peanut allergies in Southeast Asia have been found to be as high as in the US, however the peanuts used in their cooking are typically fried or boiled. Thu Sep 11 10:36:04 -0700 2003 1611578 0 Bryan Andregg 4 1611603 Genetic modification, too. Thu Sep 11 12:28:43 -0700 2003 1611578 0 2chez mike 5 1611624 But what if they used gm to remove the offending protein(s) from peanuts and nuts? The perceived rise in allergies has nothing to do with GM foods. The problem is that these strains are so popular there is no genetic diversity in the nation's (soon to be world) staple crop. This of course opens the possibility of famine at a biblical level. Thu Sep 11 14:30:55 -0700 2003 1611603 0 muD 2 1611654 I heard it may also have something to do with the age at which people introduce new foods to their children. Most new mother's aren't able to breastfeed for all that long and as a result, introduce new, potentially allergenic foods to their infants, who have touchy immune systems. My pediatrician friends say that peanuts shouldn't be given to children under 3, and new foods should be introduced in small amounts and gradually. Thu Sep 11 19:04:44 -0700 2003 1611547 0 chococat 1 1611577 I dont think it is political correctness since people die all the time from these allergies. They are not just offended by the site of them. Couple that with a obscenely litigious society and you get some more insight into why schools and other facilities may ban nuts and other allergens. That being said, I find the ban a little ridculous myself. Thu Sep 11 08:24:47 -0700 2003 1611524 0 baruch 2 1611651 I don't see all that many kids bringing their own lunch anymore. The trend is for parents to send them two or three dollars every day to spend in the vending machines for an all junk food lunch. Thu Sep 11 18:27:14 -0700 2003 1611577 0 Betty 1 1611586 Be warned: Alain Ducasse has rebelled against this trend, serving peanut butter to all tables at Mix! Thu Sep 11 10:25:51 -0700 2003 1611524 0 lucia 2 1611597 Yeah, and watch Mr. Deep Pockets get the s*** sued out of him for it... Thu Sep 11 12:00:38 -0700 2003 1611586 0 GG Mora 3 1611602 All he has to do is to put up a large sign or individual signs on the tables stating that he has peanut butter on the tables, plus one at eye level on the front door stating the same. Remember also, the McDonald's suit was thrown out of court, although I think that if the guy had sued them for serving nasty and vile food, he might have won. Thu Sep 11 12:24:24 -0700 2003 1611597 0 Sandy 3 1611694 Ya know, in Tex there is a law up for vote on lawsuits and I am really up in the air on which way I will vote. To simplify it you can sue for pain and suffering at $250K and then get awarded more based on other things like income potential. The fact that the first thing someone thinks of when something doesn't go there way is, that I want to file a lawsuit, really wants to make me vote for the prop. Its unfortunate but maybe it needs to be done? Fri Sep 12 01:08:19 -0700 2003 1611597 0 John Scar 1 1611606 Another few miles down the slippery slope to the Land of Total Irresponsibility. Upon his release from the critical care unit, local glutton Portly Horfer spoke to the gathered media. "I'm pleased to have come through this terrible ordeal with no permanent after effects. Even though I'm fat & may have overindulged, it's not my fault. No one should have to suffer the kind of widdle tummy ache I experienced. Cheesecake Factory simply should not have served me so much food." Stellar Whacko of the Fat Folks Advocates said, "No responsible restaurant should be permitted endanger any person's life by tempting them with abundant, delicious food." FFA has introduced legislation across the country to require restaurants to serve only portion-controlled items. "We have established an emergency committee," Whacko said, "to work with federal and state officials to establish standards for restaurant portions to be enforced by a new bureaucracy, the Portion Control Enforcement Regulators, or PCers for short." Thu Sep 11 12:45:43 -0700 2003 1611524 0 Mr Grub