The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have published their first food allergy guidelines for schools to protect the health and safety of children.
"We strive to ensure that students with food allergies are both safe and included at school," said John L. Lehr, chief executive officer of FARE. "We strongly encourage schools to adopt these new guidelines, or to examine their existing plans to make improvements in line with the CDC's new recommendations. The guidelines will greatly improve the way we care for students with food allergies by having uniform procedures in place."
The "Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care and Education Programs" is intended to help schools reduce allergic reactions. Check out some of the new guidelines, according to the CDC news release:
1. Avoiding the use of identified food allergens in class projects, parties, holidays and celebrations, arts, crafts, science experiments, cooking, snacks or rewards;
2. Training transportation staff on how to respond to food allergy emergencies;
3. Having rapid access to epinephrine auto-injectors in case of anaphylaxis, and training staff on how to use an epinephrine auto-injector;
4. Ensuring that children with food allergies are not excluded from field trips, events or extracurricular activities, as well as physical education or recess activities;
4. Using nonfood incentives for prizes, gifts and awards; and
6. Designating allergen-safe zones, such as an individual classroom or eating area in the cafeteria, or designating food-free zones, such as a library, classroom, or buses
According to the news release, about 6 million children in the United States have food allergies, an 15 percent will have a reaction at school.
"These guidelines assist schools and early care centers in shifting their policies and practices from response to prevention and preparedness, making these settings safer for children with food allergies," said CDC Division of Population Health Director Wayne Giles, M.D., M.S. "CDC greatly appreciates the collaborative process that engaged multiple federal agencies and national non-government organizations in the development of these guidelines."
For more information about the regulations, click here.
