It is important to have a school food allergen policy to minimize the risk of exposure. While the key responsibility lies with the students at risk and their families, the school community must also take special care.

Given that anaphylaxis can be triggered by a small amount of an allergen, the whole school community must be encouraged to follow certain guidelines to help reduce the risk.

Students:

• Eat only food that they have brought from home unless it is packaged, clearly labelled and approved by their parents/guardians.
• Wash hands before and after eating.
• Do not share food, utensils or containers.
• Place food on a napkin or wax paper rather than in direct contact with a desk or table.

School staff:

• Properly clean surfaces and toys, and dispose of food items after meals and snacks.
• Provide adult supervision of young children when they are eating or when there is food around.
• Ensure that ingredients of food brought in for special events, served in school cafeterias, or provided by catering companies are clearly identified.
• Consider modifying or restricting the use of food in class activities, depending on the allergies of the children.
• Consult parents of food-allergic children when food is involved in class activities.
• Have a ''no eating" rule during daily travel on school buses.

Foodservice staff:

• Read food labels and inquire about ingredients when purchasing supplies.
• Reduce cross-contamination caused by shared cooking equipment and utensils used to handle, prepare and serve food.
• Receive training on allergen risk management.