Change in schools in Basse-Saint-Laurent: Nuts and peanuts are now allowed in lunch boxes

Three guns Since the beginning of the school year, nuts, peanuts and other allergens are now allowed in lunch boxes and snacks for students in many schools in Basse-Saint-Laurent, who are now focusing on prevention rather than banning them.

At Litalien Primary School in Trois-Pistoles, teacher Anny Charron is particularly keen on snacks.

She makes sure her fourth graders stay at their desks, rather than allowing them to move freely in the classroom.

Those with allergies will wash their hands from the tap, before and after eating a snack, while wipes are available for other students who remain in class.

Children who may have allergens in their snack, from home-baked cookies for example, will also wash their hands and rinse their mouths after eating.

The teacher says: “At the beginning of the year, I admit that it worried me a little, and I told myself that at least with the ban, we have more control over the matter.” But then, I told myself that in real life, you can't control everything. “It will be good, because through education we will be able to make them more aware.”

Epidemic, crane

The same rules apply at lunchtime, at daycare. The pandemic helped a lot with this shift because many habits, such as washing hands and disinfecting tables, were already well-established, says Mary Diane Pelletier, president of the daycare service.

She says these are “simpler” measures to implement, because monitoring two dozen lunch boxes in the middle of the day wasn't always easy. M says^I Pelletier.

Turn in the Bas Saint Laurent

All schools in the Fleuve-et-des-Lacs School Service Center reintroduced allergens at the beginning of the year, in cooperation with regional public health authorities. Other service centers in the region also followed suit.

They were inspired by guidelines developed by Allergies Québec and Montreal's regional public health department, which have been in place for several years.

There are more than 150 foods that can cause allergies, so it is impossible to guarantee an allergen-free environment.

However, some children with allergies remain afraid of these changes. “It worries me a little bit,” says Alexis, a sixth-grader who can't eat peanuts.

However, having a policy banning allergens at school has been shown to have no effect on the number of allergic reactions in the school environment, the School Service Center notes.

For her part, L'italian School Director, Jamie Plourde, confirms that parents of children with allergies have responded well to these changes. She says a “minority” of them needed reassurance, but so far everything has been going smoothly at the seven primary schools under her supervision.

“The key is communication,” says M^I Plourde, who is allergic to peanuts, completely approves of this way of doing things. “For me, it was a no-brainer.”