As I mentioned in a “school lunch” post last year, my daughter’s elementary school is peanut/tree nut-free. Not only are peanuts and tree nuts not allowed, but foods made in factories that handle nuts are not allowed either. As a result, the school sends out a “safe snack” list so parents know what store-bought snacks are “safe” and approved.
When I first got a hold of this list last year my eyes just about bugged out of my head. Fresh off our original “100 Days of Real Food” pledge, I felt compelled to sit down and count how many snack suggestions I would consider to be “real food approved.” Out of the 200 or so safe snack suggestions only 17 items, approximately 7%, were “real” whole foods. The rest were highly processed including suggestions like Wendy’s Frosties, Skittles, Oreos, Fritos, Airheads, Cheese Puffs, Twizzlers, Chips Ahoy, and Gummy Bears (for a morning snack for little kids!!). I knew I couldn’t just sit around and complain. I had to get involved and try to change things.
So I met with the principal and assistant principal last spring and as soon as I said the word “food” they of course thought I wanted to address the food in the cafeteria. They don’t have control over what is served for breakfast or lunch, but I told them that was just fine because I actually had a long list of other things I wanted to address first including…
- The school’s “safe snack” list, which is full of highly processed snack suggestions
- Student rewards and activities, which commonly involve junk food like “Popsicles with the Principal” and “Skittle Sort” (why not a button sort?)
- Students are also commonly served cupcakes, cookies, and other treats for birthdays and celebrations in the classroom. Occasionally even more than one dessert treat a day is served on top of treats that are brought in from home and/or purchased in the cafeteria.
- School fundraising events that encourage students and their families to dine at locations such as Donatos Pizza and Chick-fil-A.
- Box Top class rewards that include a pizza party, Krispy Kreme Donut party, and a cupcake decorating party
Click image to download the "Elementary School Safe Snack List"
Those are just a few of the observations that alarmed me last year, which was our first year with a child in elementary school. It was also our first school year after deciding to cut out all highly processed food, so I guess one could say I was highly sensitive to it all. Anyway, I was thrilled that the principal immediately handed me the reins of the “safe snack” list without a problem. I then partnered with another mom to come up with an addendum to the list because while they said we could add items to it we could not take anything away. They said if Krispy Kreme donuts were not on the list as being nut-free then someone would surely send in Dunkin’ Donuts. But a compromise was fine with me. We can keep all the junk on there if we can also put our “healthy snack” addendum smack dab on the front…because I consider that progress.
So without further ado, here is a link to the “snack list addendum” that another mom and I worked very hard to create. Whether you want to use these snack ideas for your school or just for inspiration when packing your own kids snacks please feel free to use the list however you choose. I’ve already turned it into our principal and so far she says it looks great. I was a little worried the description of “real food” versus “not real food” might offend some parents, but I figured I would let the principal make that call. We have our back-to-school orientation this week, and I am very anxious to see if they actually use our list with the “safe snack” handouts…keeping my fingers crossed!
Next up I hope to address the issue of all the junk food that’s used for rewards and activities by coming up with a list of alternatives. I will keep you posted on the progress!
I have a huge problem with my son in this situation. His body cant handle food colorings, artificial flavors and perservitives. He has some of the same rules at his school, no nuts and only store bought snacks. Plus they do food rewards! Having to take a ringpop away from him every Friday is upsetting to him and I both. His teacher knows about his strict diet but gives him things anyway. Its very upsetting because he acts out when he does have these things. Like ADD with severe mood swings. And then I get pulled aside for his behavior. I pack all his food for school but still he’s given ‘treats’. This week and today of all days has been very stressful with the shooting in CT. My son wandered out into the hall by himself after his teacher and aide found out about it. His holiday party is next week and each child had to donate $5 so the class could have food from Taco Bell, Little Cesears, and a Chinese food place. $5 a student with 17 students?! That’s $85.00 to feed 17 4and5 year olds. I would have gladly put together holiday party food for his class for lot less, but was not allowed since it all has to be store bought and all the other classes are doing the same food. We’re in a low income area (inner city almost) so it’s difficult to try and have people understand that these things are bad for him. I don’t know what do do anymore since his school wont listen.
Hi Amy. I’m so sorry you are having such a tough time with his school. Is it worth speaking to your pediatrician? Perhaps you can get a medical note to try and help the school understand that your child cannot medically have these foods. It sounds like you are trying to speak to the school…I would just stay on top of that as well. Sorry I can’t provide further insight. Jill
Hi Jill,
I want to thank you for all of your hard to make changes in our schools. As a mom with a child that has a severe peanut allergy, this means more than you can imagine! My sons preschool has been a little difficult to deal with regarding food items that may contain traces of nuts. I had noticed on the list that hummus was on there? I was told by a nutritionist that my son was to avoid hummus due to the chick peas and the high incidence of cross pollinization with peanuts? I wasn’t sure if maybe the particular brand you mentioned was considered peanut safe. If it is, that’s wonderful because I’m always looking for new things for him to try!!
Hi Amy. I am not sure about the cross contamination of chick peas with peanuts. Sorry I can’t provide any further info. Jill
Hi, thanks for the great post! I was updating our schools NUT FREE class list and wanted to add items to it for variety. Your post came up so I cross referenced : ) I am having the opposite challenge, I am being asked to ADD items that are more junky. I have ours divided into EVERYDAY SNACKS and SPECIAL OCCASION TREATS so that parents know the difference. But for the class parties/Treats, I only list companies that are organic, minimally processed (or as good as you get for a cookie anyway) but they are cost prohibitive for some. They are asking me to put Oreos and Chips Ahoy on the list! Yuk. I have many of the Pepperidge Farms cookies listed that are Nut Free and thought that would suffice. I am looking for other options that are minimally processed, still a treat, and not expensive. We also have a Culture of Care guideline regarding sustainability, so no individual packaging items etc..
Amy-I agree with you. We briefly had my son in school last year, and I had the same problem. They’d load him up with sugar (Krispy Kremes were apparently a class favorite) and preservatives, then wonder why he wouldn’t behave in class???? I’m still shaking my head. He was diagnosed Add/Adhd/Odd. We’ve been working really hard to reduce preservatives and chemicals in his diet, figuring “it couldn’t hurt.” I got further upset when I requested an IEP (which they never finished!) and they had the NERVE to say to me “have you considered an organic diet?” What good does that do, when snack time, parties, and rewards are anything BUT organic. Ugh. Not to mention the social stigma or not being able to eat what the other kids are eating. Luckily, my husband an pediatrician agreed homeschool was best for him afterall, and we brought him back home where I can not only educate him but teach him healthy eating habits. Have you had any resolution?
Thank you for this list. Our school (where I work and both my children attend) is going peanut-free. I’ve written a letter to parents explaining our decision to make this change and have been busily searching for a list of peanut-free snack and lunch ideas for our families to help ease the transition. I was very disappointed to find that every list I could find included CANDY not to mention mostly processed foods. Thanks so much for creating this list and thanks so much for sharing.