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Author Topic: Removing Food Allergens from surface  (Read 2456 times)

Description: Mostly peanut and tree nut.

Offline fuji

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Removing Food Allergens from surface
« on: September 17, 2015, 06:35:04 PM »
Yeah! We finally have a school nurse! :happydance:
Boohoo! She was put into this position without formal training!  :insane:
Yeah! She is willing to learn, she told me that just 2 weeks ago she didn't even know what a 504plan was! But she is educating herself and has been reaching out to the moms of kids with food allergies!  :thumbsup:

A little backstory: All the kids from K-12 go to the same cafeteria, K-2 and 7-12 walk a few blocks to get there. K-2 have chaperones and  7-12 do not!
The younger children eat first, and they have a peanut free table. I don't know about the 3-6th grade kids.(if they have a peanut free table.) The 7-12th graders do not have a peanut free table. The tables are wiped down with a sanitizing solution, most probably bleach. Is it safe for the kids with food allergies? In our small town of 1200, there are at least 5 people with a peanut allergy, 2 of which are school aged and 2 are adults. That's just that I know of, there may be more.
So the big question: Does bleach remove peanut proteins or other allergens?
I found this and it seems to me that it's saying bleach does?
"Studies have shown that conventional cleaning methods are effective in removing the protein of a food allergen such as peanut. Bar and liquid soap is effective for removing protein from your hands, while alcohol-based sanitizer is not, according to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology;. That study also showed soaps and commercial cleaning agents effectively removed peanut protein from tabletops, while dishwashing liquid alone did not.

One tablespoon of concentrated bleach per gallon of water at normal room temperature is the standard for cleaning food preparation surfaces. Hotter water temperatures decrease the effectiveness of bleach solutions. Putting the solution in a spray bottle is convenient for travelling. Allow the surface to air dry after sanitizing. The effectiveness of a bleach solution diminishes over time."http://www.foodallergy.org/cross-contact
Me: Mild hayfever, asthma
DH: Mild hayfever
DS24: Grass allergy, very mild hayfever
DS16: Severe grass allergy, mild hayfever
DD14: Peanut allergy, very mild hayfever