When I recently flew back home from vacation, I was offered peanuts from the flight attendant. As someone with food allergies, it’s a bit shocking to me that airlines still offer peanuts aboard their planes. While I am not allergic to peanuts, I know many people are and I imagine it can hardly feel good knowing you are enclosed in a plane for a number of hours with people eating peanuts all around you.
The plane scenario is just one example of many where people and companies are not sensitive to allergies. Even worse, children are being bullied because of food allergies:
In kindergarten, Owen Kellogg came home sobbing one day because another boy at school had told him that he had a peanut, and that he was going to force Owen to eat it.
Owen, now 7, is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, said his mother, Haylee Kellogg of Cedar Hills, Utah. In reality, the taunting boy did not have a peanut, but Owen didn’t know that — he just knew that eating a peanut could make him stop breathing.
While I don’t have children so I won’t pretend to understand what it’s like to have a child who gets bullied because of something like food allergies, I can only imagine how heartbreaking it is to have your child go through something like this.
The more people I meet who have different dietary restrictions, the more sensitive I am to food and drink offerings. For our wedding, we specifically made sure there was a vegetarian and gluten-free option and that the food was MSG-free. I wish more people took this into consideration when planning catering for events, especially because there is no worse feeling than realizing there may be little or no food available that you can eat.
I have to shake my head when I go to some meeting or event and there is no option for vegetarians. I went to a meeting at my church a couple years ago and my wife essentially could only eat a couple of small sides as she gets migraines from most beef that is packed with preservatives. Some organizations are worse than others, but I can tell you that in my personal experience churches are pretty terrible at being accommodating to different dietary restrictions.
Thankfully, I have seen more companies catering to the wide range of dietary restrictions. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options have increased over the years. There still seems to be an unmet demand for people who want fast, healthy options. A newer coffee shop located by our house is just one example of a company that is trying to fill this market. While I have not personally purchased their gluten-free bakery goods, they have been received quite favorably by the community.
I imagine we will see many more companies taking advantage of the opportunity that this sector has to offer.
Next time the flight attendant asks you if you want peanuts, consider asking the person sitting next to you if they have a food allergy. They just might be one of the 8% that do, and would appreciate it if you did not eat peanuts on the flight.
Do you or someone you know have a dietary restriction or food allergy?
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Photo by Daniella Segura
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Our best friends have two daughters who’re crazy allergic to peanuts. One of them is so sensitive to them that if they walk into a room with them out her faces starts swelling up. It really has taught us to be more sensitive to this as we would hate to be the cause of something bad happening.
@FrugalRules Wow, even you sharing that has made me more sensitive to how serious a situation it can be. I just made a decision: no peanuts when we host people. I’m sure it gets old having to ask people to not have peanuts out.
@FrugalRules My niece was almost as bad. However they started her on regimen of peanut dust which slowly built her tolerance up. She can now eat a full tablespoon with no reaction.
@AprilCarvelli Interesting, wondering how many people are able to build a tolerance?? cc: @FrugalRules
@DC @ Young Adult Money @FrugalRules Look it up, it is actually becoming quite common.
@AprilCarvelli @FrugalRules That’s great news!
I’m not allergic to anything thankfully! W is allergic to certain fish though.
@SenseofCents Sucks to hear about the fish allergy…I know some people who have that and they have to be pretty careful.
As a vegetarian, I reall appreciate this post! Sometimes I just eat a bun with ketchupon it because there are no other options!
@Holly at ClubThrifty Holly I feel your pain. My wife can’t have beef or pork and grill-outs can be difficult. We usually bring Turkey dogs, a Turkey Burger, or a Veggie Burger (which aren’t terrible). It sucks having to plan ahead like that though, and it’s not always an option to bring something (i.e. can’t carry a cooler around with you every time).
My friend Doug (who podcast listeners heard on our show this week) has a son with severe peanut allergies. Kids on the playground a few years ago force fed him a peanut butter sandwich. His son nearly died.
@AverageJoeMoney, I hope those little brats paid some consequences….what is wrong with people?
@AverageJoeMoney How horrible. I hope there were serious repercussions for those children. Wow.
@AverageJoeMoney That’s one of the most messed up things I’ve ever heard. I don’t care how old the kids are, they should be serving time.
@AverageJoeMoney In that case it’s a different issue. That is a bullying problem. If it wasn’t peanut butter it probably would have been mud or something else even more disgusting.
I’m with you on the peanuts on planes thing–that boggles my mind! I don’t have any food allergies, but I’ve gone so long without eating red meat that I have quite a sensitivity if I try to now.
@The Happy Homeowner My wife can’t eat beef or pork without getting migraines (turkey and chicken that is super processed…think lunch meat that is packed with preservatives…) so I have a lot more chicken and Turkey now. I am wondering when the day will come that I went too long without red meat and I get nauseous from eating it.
I am surprised that airlines still do that! The last 3 trips I went on didn’t offer any sort of food unless you paid. They did offer a drink and that was it. I wonder why any airline would still do that?
@Financial Black Sheep Not enough people care, I suppose.
I was raised the hard way with food, and used to eating what was there or do without. Having a side of vegetable at a banquet should be normal though, even if it is just mashed potatoes or lettuce. Getting vegetarian options like tofu burgers opens the door for the other to ask for kosher, halal, vegan, and other diets, I get why your church wouldn’t cater for different tastes. You mix two things here, eating habits (vegeterian, vegan) and allergies (peanuts, lactose intolerant…). I am pretty sure a person who has an allergy to one ingredient would fine food to eat at a buffet with several dishes, rarely do you use the same ingredient for all dishes. If it is a question of taste or habits, if you are really starving you will eat, otherwise you can fill on bread and soda until you get home.
@RFIndependence I understand your disagreement. I’m just saying companies that are accommodating should be looked at in a better light than companies that are not. At least that’s my stance.
8% of people have an allergy. That means that peanuts are a viable, protien packed snack for 92% of people. If you do have a restriction, whether it be allergy or habit, don’t expect the world to accomodate you. Being accomodating to 92% of the population is far more practical than wasting resources for the possible 8% that may or may not be on the plane or at the luncheon. We all have something that is different about us. Something that the world isn’t going to take care of, so we need to do it ourselves. That’s life. It’s not a bad thing. I have to eat every 2-3 hours. Do you think the poeple I’m with want to stop what they’re doing to eat every two hours to have a meal? No. So I plan for it myself and always have food with me that I can eat in whatever situation I’m in. I have to have protein in the morning, which means that a common breakfast of fruit and pastries will not sustain me. So, I bring my own protein along. I don’t expect others to take care of my unique eating situation.
@AmyDykstraWhile only 8% of people may have food allergies there are a HUGE number of people in the world who have restrictions and because of religion or choice. I am vegan by choice (to be healthy) and appreciate when there are vegan options and think that it wouldn’t hurt for people to eat more healthy food. That being said, I, like you, often bring along my own meals and snacks since I eat every 2-3 hours and cater to my own needs. I agree with what you said about wasting resources, but think that healthy alternatives that cater to everyone are in the best interest for everyone’s health.
@AmyDykstra well said. Peanut allergies are largely a North American disease. Part of it is due to lack of exposure and over coddling. We ruin the immune systems of our children by NOT exposing them to germs, food products etc. By non-exposure their systems do not learn how to cope.If you look at areas and cultures that have nuts as a staple you will find very few cases of nut allergies. The same is true of Gluten allergies, in this case it’s exposure to chemically processed wheat vs naturally processed wheat.
@AmyDykstra Good comment. Sometimes life isn’t fair and people shouldn’t have to accommodate to the needs of everybody. If not society will cease to function.
I’m simply a crazy picky eater, so like others mention I always make sure I’m prepared in case the options don’t suit m tastes.
That being said my oldest daughter has a milk allergy (not lactose intolerance, but an allergy to whey protein). Luckily, she only has issue with raw milk, cheese, butter and yogurt…she can eat products that contain milk ingredients. It’s also an allergy that isn’t deadly. If she ingests it she will pretty quickly start vomiting, having the runs and awful stomach cramps. The worst part is it lasts for 2-3days. I always make sure I’m prepared for her as well and she is very knowledgeable about what she can and cannot have, even at age 5. Others in her class have dairy and peanut allergies as well, so it’s “normal” to the other kids and their parents, so everyone is careful. When I go on field trips with them I bring water for those that can’t have milk and the other parents make sure they don’t serve allergens.
I think a peanut allergy is a different animal than most. Considering some are SO sensitive to even the scent and it could kill them. In a closed place where people are captive for hours that could be an issue. However, even if the airlines don’t serve the peanuts, people could bring their own stuff.
I’d be screwed if they stuck to pretzels…I don’t like them!
@MomofTwoPreciousGirls I hate pretzels as well but would be happy to eat pretzels if it means someone won’t start having a reaction in the seat next to me ;)
I personally don’t have any food allergies, but my husband’s sister is gluten free and I don’t know how she does it. Lucky for her, there has been a big gluten free movement over the past couple of years, but still. It takes so much more time and effort (not to mention money) living on a restricted diet. I know I would have a really hard time with it. So props to all of the people out there who do live with it. I try to make a conscious effort to consider others’ dietary needs when hosting a party or eating out, but it is definitely something I have to put a lot of effort into. It doesn’t come naturally.
@Cara Lyn Erickson Jake’s sister should check out J Arthur’s in Roseville…probably a bit of a drive, but they are BIG on gluten-free food (I think most if not all their bakery goods are gluten-free). I know a couple others who are gluten-free, and as you said it seems like there has been a big movement the past couple years to accomodate those who eat gluten-free. Even though I’m not gluten-free, I definitely am intrigued by the foods and like the idea of being more accomodating.
That is a very good point that many large events where food is served do not really take into account allergies or dietary preferences. My husband is a Type 1 diabetic and he always has to be careful. He has to scope out the choices first to see if he needs to take more medication than usual prior to eating or if there are enough low carb choices for him to enjoy a meal.
@TacklingOurDebt Good point, and I think some organizations are much better than others. I particularly hate this one organization I was a part of a few years back where they had a vegetarian dish “only for vegetarians!” and a nasty sausage dish as an alternative. I think I ended up looking like a dick for eating some of the vegetarian food….
Wow, I didn’t know the smell of peanuts in the air could cause an allergic reaction, that is crazy and sucks for those who suffer from it.
@KyleJames1 Definitely would suck. The worst part I think is the lack of control. You can control whether or not you eat something you’re allergic to. If you’re allergic to something in the air (like peanut dust) you have little control over that.
Great point about peanuts on planes. Honestly, I had even thought about it, but it is surprising that they still do offer them given the potential risk. When I host events, we try to very conscious of people’s dietary needs because well … it’s polite, but it is also really hard to enjoy yourself on an empty stomach. Living in California probably helps because it is not unusual to have some unique food needs – required or imaginary. :)
My ex had a severe peanut allergy (if he ate one he would die, literally). I’m shocked to hear that airlines are still offering peanuts. That seems like a huge liability for them. In my most recent first aid training at work I learned how to us an epi pen. Problem is, a lot of people don’t carry them on them (particularly men, who don’t usually carry handbags).
It seems like EVERYONE I know has something going on. I feel like the only one who can eat just about anything (although there are foods I don’t prefer or make me feel yucky-like onions). But in LA it seems that everywhere you go there are options for everyone. I imagine in some parts of the country/world it’s not as available? But it does seem weird that when I was a kid, no one seemed to have these problems. Makes me wonder….
I don´t eat any food containing MSG, as it tends to flare up my Fibromyalgia. Glad that you had options at your wedding! and I agree that it`s so weird that nuts are an option even at airplanes! It`s not like allergic people can just walk away from the person infront of them who`s just opened a can of nuts.
I haven’t flown anything in a while other than Frontier, which offers cookies, or American, which offers nothing. It would seem offering peanuts is opening the airline up to a major lawsuit if someone allergic has a reaction on the plane.
I think the lack of alternative food options comes down to cost in most cases. For catered dinners or functions, it would probably cost more to have more selections that only a few people might choose. Right or wrong, the almighty dollar usually wins out.
Honestly I never really paid attention to the need to have specific dietary choices, until I met one of my really good friends who’s a vegetarian. And now my niece and nephew have serious food allergies. So I agree with you, it’s more important than ever to give people a choice in case they have certain food restrictions.
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I am trying hard to be a non-meat-eater on the long-term journey towards being vegan. You’d think folks would understand SOMETIMES, but oh so many times I get the “Just this once…..” The pressure is enormous and makes eating with others difficult.