There’s a New Act in Town – Let’s Go!

The new food allergy training requirement isn’t just another box to check. It’s a serious safety need in schools across the country, in districts of all sizes, and it warrants fresh thinking.

Food allergies are often invisible. Vulnerable students rely on foodservice staff to help prevent life-threatening allergic reactions before they occur.

Where Do We Start?

Maybe your school has been running engaging training on this topic for decades and you could travel around the country and teach it yourselves. Or maybe this is the first time you’re getting a robust food allergy training system in place.

Wherever you are, review these important principles. Then make it your own!

The Pre-Training Checklist

Make It a Priority!

Show you get it: You know there are countless to-dos calling on your staff’s physical and mental capacities, but this topic is worth prioritizing. Help them visualize the benefits of creating a safe and welcoming space for students with food allergies:

• Fewer trips to the emergency room or doctor’s office from school
• Less fear and anxiety among students with food allergies
• Less food restriction out of fear of an allergic reaction
• More trust from students and families as they feel supported by staff
• More compassion among all students as they build allergy awareness
• Less bullying of children with food allergies
• A strong sense of inclusion and belonging among students with food allergies
  

Make It Engaging!

• Ask an outside presenter to lead a dynamic session that staff will enjoy
  
• Personalize the training to your school
• Build awareness of the importance of this topic with fun learning events worth attending, with or without a training component
• Include role-play scenarios to ensure the material sticks
• Consider training themes that could carry from the training to protocol implementation (e.g. teal caps, aprons, and t-shirts)
• Share samples of your go-to allergy-friendly products, like SunButter® Sunflower Seed Butter
  

Check the Tech!

• Evaluate technological capacities to provide and track training
• Build a system that will work across training programs
• Ensure equitable access
  

Speak Their Language!

• Survey all the languages in which staff would learn best
• Consider bringing in multilingual presenters
• Offer translated versions or translation tools for all materials
• Use clear visual symbols throughout the training and in labeling food allergens in the kitchen
  

Swap Stories!

• Partner with families that are managing food allergies and ask them to share their experiences
• Encourage staff with food allergies to collaborate on the training
• Highlight school heroes that have safely responded to allergic reactions in schools
• If needed, bring in other similar stories from outside of your school

For support with training ideas or getting more allergy-friendly recipes on the menu, reach out to your SunButter® Sales Rep.

FAQs

How Common Are Food Allergies?

The new law cites a rising rate of food allergies in children:

Over the past two decades, the number of children with food allergies in the United States has more than doubled.

In 1999, 3% of children had food allergies.

Now, 8% of children – almost 6 million children in total (or about 2 students per classroom) – have food allergies.

What’s Actually Changing?

Under the Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act, National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program personnel will be required to undergo annual food allergy training.

The goal of this training is big! It helps school foodservice staff understand how to best protect children with food allergies by:

• Implementing policies to help reduce food-related allergic reactions
• Knowing how to identify and respond to food-related allergic reactions
  

Who Endorsed the Protecting Children With Food Allergies Act?

• National Association of School Nurses (NASN)
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
• American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)
• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA)
• American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI)
• Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE)