Peanut Allergies Lead To Bullying In Schools, Newfoundland Doctor Says (VIDEO)
Kids Are Being Bullied Over Nut Allergies, Doctor Says
The Huffington Post Canada
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When a Newfoundland school district reinforced a ban on peanut butter substitutes earlier this month, the head of a company that produces them called it bullying.
But as one doctor in Deer Lake, N.L. tells it, students are using those very products to harass kids with serious nut allergies.
Pediatrician Dr. Susan Russell cheered a move by the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District to ban peanut butter substitutes such as Wowbutter in schools that already have nut-free policies, The Western Star reported.
She said students have smeared Wowbutter on allergy sufferers or their belongings, or even pressured them into eating it. One student, she recalls, was chased down a corridor by someone who said they were holding a peanut butter sandwich. The bullied student now doesn't want to go back to school.
"The risk is being bullied causes significant psychological harm, but, in this case, there is a real physical threat," Russell told the newspaper.
Allergy sufferers who come into contact with peanuts can experience anaphylaxis, which is characterized by narrowing airways, throat swelling, a drop in blood pressure or losing consciousness, according to the Mayo Clinic.
It can even be life-threatening; Dr. Richard Lockey, an allergist with the University of South Florida, said sufferers can die from anaphylaxis in minutes, though it's rarely been reported to happen days or weeks after the initial event.
"The results we have seen in some surveys that we have done is 30 per cent of parents have reported that their child has experienced some form of bullying," she told the network. "This is concerning, because this seems to be more prevalent than previously known."
Scott Mahon, president of Wowbutter Foods, was disappointed earlier this month when the school district banned its products from certain classrooms, saying that it would "make life difficult" for certain families.
"We're supposed to be teaching our kids to accept and embrace and acknowledge the needs and uniqueness of others," he told CBC News. "Now the school is saying, 'no, we understand this is a safe product, but we don't want to take the time to educate and deal with it."
But Jeff Thompson, the school district's associate director of education (programs), said it knows that Wowbutter isn't dangerous, but added that it can be difficult for schools to monitor.
If you’re celiac or gluten intolerant, you know how awful you can feel if you accidentally eat gluten. But some allergies can actually be immediately life threatening — nuts and peanut allergies in particular. That adds a whole other dimension of worry when you’re eating out. Check out these tips for recognizing a potentially dangerous allergic reaction early on. (credit:EpiPen)
It’s Not Just About Food Prep(02 of10)
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At Bunner’s, there are no nuts or peanuts used on site, so none of their products are made with either of those ingredients. However, it’s still hard to verify that they are 100 per cent nut- or peanut-free because they use ingredients from outside manufacturers, and those are sometimes processed on the same lines as those that do have nuts and peanuts. This is the case for many restaurants and food manufacturers, so it’s important to ask if you absolutely must avoid any traces of a particular ingredient.
Not Everyone Takes You Seriously(03 of10)
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There are a variety of reasons why someone might avoid a particular ingredient: they could be vegetarian or vegan, they could have a food intolerance, they could have a food allergy, or they could have a condition like celiac disease. Because there are so many reasons for dietary restrictions, and because the information we have on what causes these issues is incomplete and always evolving, some people don’t take them seriously — and that can make people sick, or worse. You can help improve this by being an informed and reasonable consumer — an ambassador for the dietarily restricted, if you will!
It Can Be Socially Isolating(04 of10)
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Nobody likes to be the person at the dinner party who has to ask the host about the minutae of what each dish contains, or to be the diner at a restaurant who needs to talk to the staff about the menu in detail. But having food restrictions means you have to ask questions — sometimes uncomfortable ones — in order to ensure your meal is safe. But if you can bring along a dish that’s both safe for you to eat and delicious, or suss out a restaurant in advance so you know what you can order when you get there, there’s no reason to eat alone.
It's Expensive(05 of10)
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Have you ever looked at the cost of gluten-free products? Six dollars for a small loaf of bread is not uncommon. The same goes for other specialty products like nut-free baked goods or dairy-free yogurts. For people with food restrictions, there’s often a compromise to be made between giving up many of the foods you enjoy and budgeting for a lot more money spent at the grocery store. People with celiac disease can actually claim the cost of gluten-free foods as a medical expense when filing their taxes in Canada.
Restaurants Are A Hassle(06 of10)
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There’s increasingly more awareness of alternative diets, food intolerances, and allergies among restaurants, and even many chain restaurants have specialty menus or information sheets indicating which foods are free of ingredients like shellfish, gluten, and eggs. Specialty shops like Bunner’s are also starting to open up across the country, and are finding that they have an audience eager for their goods. But many other restaurants and restaurant staffers aren’t aware of the issues, or the many ingredients a person might have to avoid, which means you could end up doing a lot of education when you’re out for a meal. And in restaurants where preparation surfaces and cooking utensils are shared — which is most of them — there is always a risk of cross-contamination.
Kids Don’t Understand(07 of10)
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It’s hard enough to learn about which foods you have to avoid when you’re an adult, or to accept that there are some things that you just can’t eat — imagine how hard it can be when you’re a kid, or for parents who have to worry about what their child might eat when he or she is out of sight. It can also be difficult for children when they have to refuse treats on a classmate’s birthday. If you have to adjust your child’s school lunches because a schoolmate has a restriction or allergy — for some families, it really is a matter of life or death.
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