Saint David's Nut Awareness Guidelines

 

A number of students at Saint David’s have peanut and/or tree nut allergies. These students may not ingest or touch anything containing tree nuts or peanuts, and are at high risk of having a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction if they are accidentally exposed to these allergens.

Because of the severity of these allergies, Saint David’s has heightened its Nut Awareness.

• We ask that all food brought into the building be peanut, tree nut, and nut oil free. This includes sack lunches eaten during tutoring and music lessons and sack lunches for field trips, as well as snacks purchased before the After School Program.
  
• We ask that all food brought into the school building be approved by the School Nurse. This includes foods for snacks, ethnic and holiday celebrations, and all birthday parties. To guide you when choosing foods that do not contain peanuts or tree nuts, the School Nurse has available a list of “Safe Snacks.” Please stop by her office to pick up a copy. As ingredients may change, however, please read the label on all packaged food items at the time of purchase.
• Please be aware that foods from store bins are not considered safe. There is a high risk of cross contamination from the bins and scoops.
• When bringing homemade items to school, such as cupcakes and cookies, please avoid using peanuts, tree nuts or nut oils. Cross contamination must be avoided by thoroughly washing all cooking equipment, utensils, and cutting boards in hot, soapy water prior to use. Wiping or rinsing is not sufficient to remove allergen residue.
• When using pre-packaged items or packaged mixes, please read every label carefully. If it includes the words “May contain traces of…” or “Made on equipment that processes or manufactures…,” or “Made in a facility that also manufactures…,” it is not considered safe. Many brands contain trace levels of peanuts and tree nuts.
• When ordering cupcakes or cookies from a bakery, please be certain that there are no peanuts, tree nuts or nut oils used in the preparation. Please talk to the bakery employees about preparation of the item.
• If you are interested in purchasing edibles for children with allergies, the following websites offer food items that are tree nut, peanut, dairy, egg, or wheat free:

www.gakssnacks.com
www.enjoylifefoods.com
www.nothinnutty.com
www.divvies.com
www.cherrybrookkitchen.com

Saint David's cannot ensure an environment that is completely free of peanuts and/or tree nuts. But if we all heighten our awareness of the problems that such foods, oils, and other items may cause, we can all try as best we can to protect those students who are at risk. Thank you for your help in achieving this goal.