My child is in Grade 2 this year and is quite the picky eater. At the beginning of the year I received a memo from his school listing all of the foods I couldn't send due to food allergies. I've heard of being careful about peanuts, but this list is full of favourite foods of ours. I am struggling to find foods to send, what are some safe foods to send to school?

This is a very common concern with parents. Schools have felt the pressure to restrict all foods known to cause allergies or intolerances to protect all children from danger of an "allergy" attack. This has caused much grief for parents who already have trouble finding foods that do not contain peanuts.

Research shows that nearly 4% of North Americans have food allergies, with a higher proportion of children with food allergies than adults. Peanut allergy accounts for 28% of all food allergies. But 72% of all food allergies come from other food sources.

Here are some tips to help guide your search:

. Try to eat whole, fresh foods more often. A lot of food allergens exist in the additives of commercial products.

. Never assume a product is free of an allergen. Become informed about what to look for and learn to label read. For instance, did you know that livetin means the product contains eggs?

. Ingredients in products change without warning. If it doesn't directly say it's free of an allergen don't buy it.

. Avoid products without ingredient lists. Avoid bulk bins or bakeries without ingredient lists or have potential for cross contamination.

. Avoid imported foods. Some things can be lost in translation.

. Check with the manufacturer. Companies are becoming quite conscious of food allergens and usually can answer any question you have. There contact info should be on the package.

. Know where to get guidance. Call your local Health Unit Dietitian or check out a reliable book from your local Health Unit library. I often recommend Dealing with Food Allergies by Dr. Janice Vickerstaff Joneja, R.D. Depending on the allergen, it can be quite difficult to know what is safe or not.
Check out these web sites for reliable info on food allergies:

Dietitians of Canada
Health Canada
Allegy And Nutrition
Allergy-Asthma Information Association

So, don't despair although there are many challenges there are also many solutions. You may want to work with your school council to ensure that food restrictions are based on good research and that any restrictions are followed up with supportive information.

Angela Hollett is a RD

Registered Dietitian working in Healthy Living Program at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.