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EuroMagic, flickr
With the recent peanut-related Salmonella scare in North America, and with all those peanut allergies out there, is it time to ban peanuts altogether?
It would be safer for everyone, no?
Except it seems to be only a North American epidemic. Here in Spain, no one ever talks about peanut or other nut allergies. Granted, they don't eat peanut butter the way North Americans do, but when I've asked parents here about these types of allergies, they look at me blankly then say that it's the responsibility of the parents to manage their child's allergies.
How refreshing. Personal responsibility. And how different from American situations where, as reported by TIME, a school bus was evacuated because a single peanut was found on the floor, or where children are searched for contraband peanut products.
If I were a parent of a child with nut allergies, I'm sure I'd think all these precautions were good, but from where I sit this fuss seems a bit unwarranted. After all, only 50 fewer people die from lightning in the US each year (150 from nuts vs. 100 from lightning) and yet our only lightning strike prevention tactic is education (stay away from lightning if possible). A report in the December 2008 issue of the British Medical Journal by Dr Nicholas Christakis looked at whether the allergy hype was creating some sort of societal hysteria. The study concluded that perhaps the protections against nuts are actually making things worse.
So, if your children didn't have any peanut or nut allergies, what would you do? Let the voice of the few control who eats what? Not worry about it? Fight for your kids' right to eat a peanut butter sandwich at school? And saying that you'll only use organic won't help because it's the raw nut itself that causes the problem.
Or maybe you'll just have to move to a country where personal responsibility is more important than bus evacuations and pat-downs.
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this peanut situation has certainly reached dizzying proportions. i have a couple of friends who have the 'deadly' brand of a peanut allergy and they are both still alive and in their 40's. personal & familial responsibility certainly are admirable traits to encourage in a culture ...
I'd guess that the number of cases of peanut allergy could be blamed on our US culture of processed foods more than laying blame on the "nut" itself. Since peanut products are included in so many foods as additives and hidden ingredients, it doesn't surprise me that this isn't a big concern in other cultures where processed foods are not the norm. Soy is another legume causing similar allergy problems, and contained in thousands of processed foods in one form or another.
I think you've hit the nail on the head. Staying away from processed foods is the key. When you think of peanuts like soy then it makes sense. I've had trouble with the idea of not buying any more peanut butter at all because I *like* it and I like peanut butter cookies. But I guess that's something that could be replaced with a tree nut as Sarah Gilbert talked about (http://www.supereco.com/news/2009/01/18/beware-of-all-pea...).
Like cashew butter - more expense, but so good!
Yes, I believe SOME people are over-using the word "allergy;" however, 2.3% of the population in America is allergic. This may not seem like a big percentage, but it is a lot of people. Also, the numbers have been proven to be growing in doctor-confirmed diagnoses. The growth rate, then, has nothing to do with parents' paranoia. Possibly being "over-clean" (Hygeine Hypothesis) has been used to explain such a phenomenon; this would also explain why it is mostly a North American problem. We are a very clean society with antibacterial products everywhere and this does not allow newborns' immune systems to adjust to normal germs in the world. Thus, their body begins "fighting" normally innocent things such as peanuts.
While you do have a point in stating that parents need to ultimately be responsible for their children's allergies (or, for that matter, their entire health!), stating that allergies "are not a big problem" cheapens the battle families with allergic children face and makes it harder for us to do our job. I promise you my family is "personally responsible" for my son's well being, though he has had 3 life-threatening allergic reactions (doctor's words, not my own) anyway. Expecting schools and others around my son to respect his life enough to keep peanuts away from him is simply a given. I will not deprive him of as much "normalcy" as I can and this includes sending him to school where they are required to accommodate him according to our laws.