A growing number of Seattle area schools have removed peanut-butter sandwiches from lunch menus for the coming Fall, due to a tiny fraction of students who may be allergic to peanuts. The Seattle Times reports that some schools are taking their concern to an absurd conclusion: instructing parents “to refrain from sending peanut products in lunches from home.” One school foodservice worker defended the policy, saying that “it wasn’t like we were eliminating pizza.”
In a school district where half of the schools already have special “no peanut zone” cafeteria tables, it’s only a matter of time until these kids learn that there’s always someone trying to restrict their food choices. Some allergists are predicting that Seattle’s selective food prohibition won’t stop with a hard-shelled legume. “It’s not just peanuts,” says Dr. Clifton Furukawa, “It’s wheat, eggs, [and] milk. Pretty soon you’re banning everything.”
