Where at School Do Most Food Allergy Reactions Occur?

Question: Where at School Do Most Food Allergy Reactions Occur?

Answer: The answer might surprise you. The logical answer is that most food allergy reactions at school occur in the cafeteria during lunchtime, but this isn’t the case. In the U.S. Peanut and Tree Nut Registry, 79% of allergic reactions to nuts occurred in the classroom, usually as a result of contact with peanut butter during class projects. Massachusetts’s schools reported that 46% of food allergy reactions occurred in the classroom compared to just 9% in the cafeteria.

The reasons for this aren’t completely clear, although my suspicion is that schools (and students) are more cautious about food allergy reactions in the cafeteria, and less cautious in the classroom. Outside of the cafeteria, the school or the student might “let their guard down” and therefore be more susceptible to accidental contact with food allergens, such as at snack time. Alternatively, teachers and students may not think about contact with food allergens in regards to class projects, such as using peanut butter on homemade bird feeders or wheat flour in Playdoh.

The lesson here is that schools need to prepared to treat anaphylaxis from food allergies at any place at school, including on the playground, in the classroom and in the cafeteria. Therefore, injectable epinephrine should be readily available at all times, and not just during mealtime.

Learn if touching foods can lead to allergic reactions.

_Source:

_{Young MC, Munoz-Furlong A, Sicherer SH. Management of Food Allergies in Schools: A Perspective for Allergists. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009; 124:175-82.}

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