Something’s Missing from Your Nutrition Hub THE POWER OF PEANUTS
BY TARRAH WESTERCAMP
D id you know that 98% of students in schools do not have a peanut allergy? 1 Yes, that’s right—most of the students in your entire school district do not experience a food allergy with peanuts. As school nu- trition professionals are planning menus and ways to incorporate the community into fun events, food aller- gies and meal accommodations are top of mind. You and your team can be fearless when serving peanuts (and any food allergy) in your school by following these simple tips: • Train school nutrition professionals on the Big 9 Food allergies and signs/symptoms • Train school nutrition professionals on cross-contact and how to set up kitchens for success (need a quick training video? Check here .) • Create a Standard Operating Procedure on how to prepare peanut recipes that include storing, prepar- ing, and serving practices • Create a process for all school nutrition profession- als (and potential subs) to easily follow • Communicate student allergies with school nutrition professionals • Provide awareness to families of all Big 9 Allergens served in your school district • Communicate with families and students about all allergens served on your menus Town’s County School District in Hiawassee, Georgia has seen the importance of food allergy awareness versus a total ban. Becky Mullins, Nutrition Manager and Supervisor, states “[a food allergy ban] is very dif- ficult to implement. We cannot control what comes into the cafeteria or school from outside the cafete- ria.” Meal participation has increased for the team of Town’s County by incorporating peanuts on the school menu. Allergen awareness helps students learn how to navigate this world with any allergy.
Now that you have a plan on how to properly accom- modate students with food allergies. Let’s consider the possibilities of diverse, affordable meal planning that impacts more than the cafeteria. The power of peanuts is coming out of the shell (see what we did there?). Make the school cafeteria (and beyond) a nutrition hub for students to learn about healthy habits, agriculture, and school meals! • Identify ways to incorporate special meal events throughout the school year (may we suggest Septem- ber’s National Peanut Day?). • Find nutrition education resources and videos here to post on your website, school newsletter, social media, and much more! • Consider working with student leadership groups, such as Future Farmers of America (FFA), or local farm - ers to extend the learning of Farm to School programs. • To help schools navigate food allergy concerns, bud- get-friendly school nutrition recipes, and resources to make every school cafeteria a nutrition hub, the National Peanut Board developed the Something’s Missing campaign to have these resources, and much more, right at your fingertips. • Do you need a checklist to get you started? Check out our program implementation checklist to help you start planning! To help schools navigate food allergy concerns, bud- get-friendly school nutrition recipes, and resources to make every school cafeteria a nutrition hub, the Na - tional Peanut Board developed the Something’s Miss- ing campaign to have these resources, and much more, right at your fingertips.
1 Gupta RS, Warren CM, Smith BM, Blumenstock JA, Jiang J, Davis MM, Nadeau KC. The Public Health Impact of Parent-Reported Childhood Food Allergies in the United States. Pediatrics. 2018 Dec;142(6):e20181235. doi: 10.1542/peds.2018-1235. Epub 2018 Nov 19. Erratum in: Pe - diatrics. 2019 Mar;143(3): PMID: 30455345; PMCID: PMC6317772.
Tarrah Westercamp | National Peanut Board Tarrah Westercamp is a registered dietitian with a deep love for school nutrition, she wants to help your school nutrition programs be the nutrition hub for your students and community. For over ten years, she has worked with school districts to increase meal participation, incorporate nutrition education, and invigorate the student experience. NationalPeanutBoard.org
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