Managing Food Allergies in International School Communities

I’ll share some highlights from my family’s international journey to paint a picture of the challenges faced by globally mobile food allergy families.

When we suspected that our then-5-year-old daughter had a nut allergy, we were living in the U.A.E., which had little-to-no nut allergies of record at the time. Therefore, there was also a low level of awareness in the general population, as well as the medical community. 

As a result, we were not able to get valid testing or a prescription for potentially life-saving medicine – epinephrine. We assumed that our daughter’s international school would be able to guide us. Not only did the school not have a food allergy policy, but no one we spoke to knew anything about food allergies or supporting local medical care. (Thankfully, our daughter’s teachers partnered with us to keep her safe at school while we figured out next steps.)

We were frightened, stressed, and disheartened by the lack of support. We self-educated and helped our young daughter attempt to avoid all nuts. The suspected food allergy infiltrated nearly every aspect of life from where to buy safe food for home, to how to safely eat or spend time away from home, to how to travel, and the like. We felt isolated and frustrated by the lack of support. Our daughter was forced to grow up quickly as she had to self-advocate at a very young age. Our mental health was impacted by this experience, as we all felt isolated and frustrated by the situation. 

When an opportunity to move to the U.K. presented itself, our daughter’s food allergy was one of the key reasons we decided to go. The level of awareness in the general public and the medical community was much higher. That equated to freedom and safety for our family. 

Daily life became much easier as we found reliable medical care and received an emergency treatment plan with potentially life-saving medication. The new international school had a no-nut policy, as well as a School Counselor who supported our daughter. The government mandated that food packaging and restaurant menus list allergens, which made the simple act of eating much less stressful.

Yet, we had to remain vigilant. We had to plan ahead and double check any event with food; often feeling burdensome to others. Our daughter was excluded from parties and playdates on occasion due to her nut allergy. We also had to manage our daughter’s stress so that her self-esteem and grades didn’t suffer. 

The list of underlying challenges goes on, but one of my most specific memories is a very heated nut-related discussion at our international school. A parent complained that the nut-free policy deprived her children of a healthy snack. Another responded that she would withdraw her child from the school if the no-nut policy was reversed. It was heartbreaking for those of us who felt that the policy not only kept our children safe, but also gave us a common language to use with friends from countries with low food allergy awareness.

We repatriated to the U.S. a few years later. Once again, the decision was driven in part by our daughter’s food allergy. We learned of a medically-supervised tolerance-building treatment called oral immunotherapy (OiT). After completing the treatment, our daughter is still technically allergic to four tree nuts and must carry epinephrine, but she can now eat those nuts without reacting. Our family’s stress has been reduced, freedom has been restored and, most of all, our daughter is no-longer singled out for her allergy.

All of this to say that, in addition to danger, globally mobile food allergy families often face social and emotional stress due to isolation and various forms of bullying. International school administrators and teachers have the power to help prevent this from occurring in their own communities.