Talking Allergies

I had a quick question...In Ontario are schools allowed to be selling cookies that contain nuts? I question this because we received a notice at the beginning of school stating that we were not to send any peanut OR nut products to school(to my relief) but then my daughter has just brought home an order form for cookie dough that is "peanut free" BUT contains nuts?!

I was just curious and thought I would inquire with you guys.

Thanks,

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7 year old daughter-Allergic to Peanuts/Nuts
6 year old son-No allergies
4 year old daughter-No allergies

There is nothing in the legislation which bans specific foods or limits fundraising. The new document from the allergists does not propose bans either. Schools need fundraising money these days. It might be a good idea to become involved in the fundraising group at your school and then you can have more say in the products sold next year. A note should go home with the products to remind people that these items need to be enjoyed at home and not at school. I believe one of the companies advertising below on the forum is planning to sell nut free muffin dough and other baked goods for fundraising projects.

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11 year old daughter -- lives with life-threatening allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts; seasonal allergies (birch, maple, ragweed); pet allergies; asthma; and eczema
9 year old son - no allergies

Hi Carla,

I would quickly contact the school or the committee responsible for the sale to ask them if they would consider changing cookie companies, to keep in line with the peanut/nut free policy. People sometimes need a gentle reminder.

You can suggest the Terra Cotta Cookie Company, which specializes in fundraising and is completely peanut/nut free. I bought 2 cases of their cookies last year and they are FANTASTIC! They simply taste homemade. They also make cookie dough and frozen treats for school lunches.

Here is their website:

www.terracottacookies.com

Good luck!

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15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Hi Nicole,

Last year they did use The Terra Cota Cookie Company which your right was delicious. They made such a big deal in sending home letter's to all the parents to not send in any peanut/nut products and here they are selling it? Which doesn't make any sense.

Katec, I agree that schools need fundraising money but at what cost? They went through all this trouble and wrote up a beautiful letter to parents explaining reasons why not to send these products to school and the consequences if they do and then they turn around and are selling these products? Also me being on the parent committee wouldn't have made a difference. As I was waiting for my daughter after school one of the mother's that are on the committee was going around asking us all to boycott this company and not make any purchases because she also thinks this will cause confusion. According to her the school decided to go with this company because their products were cheaper.

I am planing on going in and talking to the Principal today.

Take care,

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7 year old daughter-Allergic to Peanuts/Nuts
6 year old son-No allergies
4 year old daughter-No allergies

My son's school has a peanut/nut ban. The first few years they were selling cookies (maybe cookie dough too, not sure) which included brownies with walnuts. I refused to sell or buy it. Since it's not my child with a food allergy, I didn't make a big deal of it, but I did mention to one of the ladies that ran the fund-raising that it was sending a mixed message to sell a product banned in the school -- especially since the product gets delivered to the school for distribution.

The following year the product with walnuts was crossed off the order form. I still didn't buy or sell because in my opinion the other stuff would all be *may contain* items. While that is not banned from the school, I don't want to purchase it. Last year they didn't sell the cookies.

Well, I spoke to the vice principal today. It seems it was an error and they will be sending letters home to all parents explaining that none of the dough's that actually contain nuts will be sold and because the other doughs contain traces of nuts they are asking that parents not send them to school once baked. It seems that the council had already arranged this back in June before the School Board wrote the letter that they had sent home.

She apologized for the error and stated that they would continue using The Terra Cota cookie company like they did last year for the other fundrasers that they have throughout the year.

But when dropping my daughter off today it seems that alot of parents are upset and they are not making any purchases in order to support parents like me that have children going to that school. Which totally took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction from parents who don't have children that have this allergy.

Take care,

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7 year old daughter-Allergic to Peanuts/Nuts
6 year old son-No allergies
4 year old daughter-No allergies

I thought that I heard that Nestle's has a school fundraising program with their nut free products. you may want to check into that for next year.

Caroline

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Anaphylaxis to fish, nut, peanuts, soy, birch, and grass.
OAS

once again i am late on chiming in but we just got an order form for my daughter to sell cookie dough. only one problem has nuts and that is macadamia nuts my thinking is as much as i would like to support the school where my daughter goes i cannot buy anything because of the nuts being in there. My daughter has never been tested for that but i do not feel safe getting anything with nuts in it when it could affect my daughter. What do you all think about that.

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Daughter Ana to Cashews, Pistachios

I am trying to get our school Parents Council to recognise and work with the school allergy support group for just this sort of reason. We have specific concerns that may fly under their radar,

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Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

I think a lot of fundraising can be done without food items (as our school council has successfully done - magazines, grocery store certificates, clothing labels, snow brick molds, etc.). I also know of a baking mix fundraiser that is nut-free (the owner's child has a nut allergy and set out to create a product that was safe for him) Their products: **100% nutfree cookie dough- chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, chocolate fudge chip, shortbread, oatmeal chocolate chew
It is called Rousing Fare. Here is the contact info:
mail@nutfreegourmet.com
www.nutfreegourmet.com
1-800-806-8966
705-656-9300

Momof1g, when my son's school was selling a product that had a nut in it I refused to buy it because of my allergy to peanuts. I avoid all nuts. So, we didn't buy anything from that fundraiser, and I refused to allow my son to sell anything. After all, if he sold to people, he would have to bring that product into MY home.

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self: allergy to sesame seeds and peanuts
3 sons each with at least one of the following allergies: peniciilin, sulfa-based antibiotic, latex, insect bites/stings

I too have not done fundraising for my school/daycare when there has been product containing my kids' allergens. I know every family has a different approach, but I just didn't feel right about promoting products that could harm my kids. I'm happy to make a financial donation, but not to sell stuff that my kids can't have...

We're lucky - our school actually suggests that if parents would rather not get involved with a particular fundraising campaign, they make a tax deductible donation to the school fund. Much easier than asking friends and neighbours to buy stuff and then having to schlep it around to them!!

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Our family got a flyer advertising Purdy's Christmas nuts and chocolate packets that will be used to raise money for the school. I know I won't participate, but because families will consume them and even pick them up away from the school, I look at this fundraiser like I do things like giftwrap, coupon books and the like: I will donate money directly to the school, but I don't want the product they are selling. It would be different if the products were being sold at an assembly for immediate consumption, but this is not the case so I just recycle the info and make a mental note that I might want to consider participating in the next fundraiser.

Caroline2

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son anaphylactic to peanuts

Hello,

Thank you for the information of peanut/nut free cookie dough for fundraising purposes. Does anyone know of mixes for muffins sold in bulk for fundraising.

Regards

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Jacqueline Labossière-Jager
Stittsville, ON

son - born 1998, allergy to peanut, nuts, sesame, shellfish and kiwi; a bunch of allergies to plants, animals, etc. and asthma
daughter - born 2003, no known allergies

Here's another thread about peanut / nut free fund raising: http://www.allergicliving.com/forum/vie ... php?t=1365
There are a bunch of links provided.