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Peanut Allergies
My son has a good friend who is severely allergic to peanuts. He would like to invite his friend to play at our house, but I am concerned about accidentally feeding him something with peanuts in it. What do I need to know to keep this child safe while he is at my house?
The most important thing to remember is that a child with a peanut allergy must avoid ALL products that contain the peanut allergen. Even a tiny speck of peanut protein can cause a life-threatening reaction.
That said, there are many things that you can do to help keep your son's friend safe while he is at your house. First and foremost, you need to talk to the child's parents. Ask them to provide you with complete information about the allergy: which foods are safe and which must be avoided, what a reaction looks like (what to watch for), what to do if a reaction takes place. Find out how to administer treatment and who to call. Keep this information in a very handy place whenever the child visits.
If you will be feeding the child, discuss the meal or snack with the parents in advance. They will be able to identify any potential problems. If you still have concerns, you might want to suggest that the parents provide food for their son to eat while at your home.
If the child will be visiting your home often, it is a good idea to become aware of some of the precautions that help to protect a child with a peanut allergy.
1. Generally, the less processed the food, the less likely it is to contain peanut protein. Highly processed foods with many ingredients are more likely to have had peanut added to them. Serve simple snacks, such as raw vegetables, fruit, cheese, or yogurt.
2. Learn to read labels. Check the lists of ingredients every time you shop. Ingredients often change without warning - a product that was safe last week may not be safe this week. A Registered Dietitian can help identify allergens that are "hiding" under different names.
3. Words on a list of ingredients that could indicate the presence of peanut protein include: peanuts, mixed nuts, ground nuts, mandalona nuts, artificial nuts, peanut butter, peanut meal, peanut oil, goober nuts, goober peas, beer nuts, and peanut flour.
4. Some of the foods that may contain peanuts include: candy, baked goods, ready-to-eat cereals such as granola, Chinese foods, Thai foods, egg rolls, chili, prepared soups, prepared and frozen desserts, potato chips, fried foods, salad dressings, macaroons, icing paste, almond paste (marzipan), vegetable burgers, vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, lard, margarine, rework chocolate from Europe, and canned sardines. This is NOT a complete list. If you have any doubt about a food, don't serve it to a child with peanut allergies.
5. Avoid imported foods with foreign language ingredient lists. If you do not know what an ingredient word means, don't buy the food.
6. Avoid bulk bins. The scoop you use in the flour may have just come from the peanut bin. The bin with rice in it might once have been used for peanuts.
7. Most allergic reactions are due to "cross contamination". Safe foods become unsafe through contact with peanut. For this reason, always prepare foods intended for the child with allergies separately from those foods intended for others. It is also a good idea to reserve special dishes, utensils and cookware for the allergic child. Remember, even the tiniest speck of peanut protein can cause a reaction.
8. Avoid using anything that might contain peanuts for crafts, games or other activities.
Published April 30, 1997 in the Record, Kitchener, ON
