Request Denied
In my daughter’s backpack — I got a smug and condescending note from her teacher. It reads:
I spoke with the Administration and we must limit the birthday snacks in kindergarten to cookies. What about Oreos? This kind of cookies is safe for students allergic to nut/peanut products.
This note confirms my hunch that the teacher passes herself off as an expert about allergies, while in fact, knowing little about them. Oreos? Goodness gracious. From Nabisco? Makers of the Peanut Cream Double Stuff Oreos as well as Nutter Butters? You’ve got to be kidding. I know I should just let it go, but I feel the need to write back. In tomorrow’s backpack, my teacher will find this note.
Dear Teacher:
Although some of your students with nut allergies may have brought oreos in the past — oreos are actually *not* safe (risk-free) for those with severe peanut allergies since plain oreos are made in shared facilities (and most likely on shared equipment) with peanut-butter cream oreos.
I do not understand the administration’s denial of my request for an exception to the rule to ensure my child can enjoy a shared snack with her class that is produced in a nut-free facility. Though I do not understand it, I will respect it.
I will send in 2 boxes of Back to Nature brand oreos, since I do not believe this brand makes peanut butter oreos, thus these cookies carry less of a chance of triggering an allergic reaction — and my daughter has safely eaten them in the past.
I briefly entertained Rachel’s suggestion of sending in Enjoy Life cookies — but I don’t think it would have the desired effect of making my daughter (or her classmates) happy. It’s an unfortunate situation, really. I hate starting out the school year on such a negative note with my child’s teacher. But between their inflexibility on the health forms, the health plan, bus transportation, and now the birthday snack — I am really wondering whether this school district is a fit for my family.
September 9th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Oh this really disturbs me. My PA son is in preschool and will be in Kindergarten in September 2009. I read about a nut free bakery in DC–here is the link: http://www.thelemonadebakery.com/index.html. Also, there is A & J Bakery in RI and they ship. Not sure about the prices of any of these. Also, Sha Sha Cookies are certified peanut-free–they sell them at Whole Foods here. I checked the website and they list a Wegmans in Sterling, VA and also Fairfax, VA. Then, of course there’s Divvies–I remember they are pricey but good. And my new favorite cookies are small sugar cookies from http://www.gilbertsgourmetgoodies. She sells in a few Whole Foods Markets here but will ship and a container of about 15 small cookies was around $5.00, plus shipping. Hope this info is helpful
September 9th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
I forgot to give the address for A & J: aandjbakery.net/. They are excellent and extremely committed to being completely peanut free.
September 10th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Your most recent posts trouble me so b/c I fear I will be in the same position in the not so distant future. I just had another idea for you (maybe for future snacks)–Cherrybrook Kitchen has extremely yummy little cookies (ready-made) in a box. Very tasty too. I found them at one supermarket here but you could buy some online to have on-hand.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:28 am
I hate to say it, but Back to Nature does make Peanut Butter sandwich cookies too. They are the WORST company at labeling their products for allergens — which is a complete shame since I also rely on them a lot for snacks for my allergic son.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Hi. I handle PR for Enjoy Life Foods and several other natural and organic food companies. I’d like to contact you from time to time with information about new products and samples that I think you and your readers may be interested in. Please provide a name, email address, street address and phone number (for shipping), and I’ll get you some info. Thanks so much!
Susan Schneider
prwhiz@aol.com
September 11th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I am so sorry to read about all your troubles with school and snacks. It just seems crazy that you can not bring in a home baked good, that you know to be safe. Perhaps there is a safe candy that you could bring? Or skip the food treat all toegther and bring in a great goody bag for everyone? Perhaps the other mom’s will do the same. If you can not find a safe store bought baked good, it is unlikely that anyone else could.
September 12th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
You blogged that you love Divvies products, why not purchase 2 boxes of chocolate chip cookies from them. You can make this difficult and make your child stand out like a sore thumb or you can do what every other parent has to do and get store-bought cookies.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
[…] mom in my food allergy support group provides additional thoughts to support to Beth’s comment that Back to Nature Oreos may not, in fact, be peanut free. She writes: Back to Nature recently […]