Since the beginning of the 2008-09 school year, Columbus Academy has partnered with SAGE Dining Services for all food service operations in its Dining Hall. Starting on Monday, SAGE will no longer serve nuts and nut products at any of their locations, including Columbus Academy.
Here is a message from Paco Rodriguez, president and co-founder of SAGE:
When SAGE was founded in 1990, food allergies weren't a widespread concern. Now they are, especially the most common and severe -- peanut allergies. In 1997, the first year a survey on the topic was conducted in the U.S., only 0.4% of U.S. children had a known peanut allergy. By 2017, that number rose sevenfold. Today, 2.7% of children SAGE serves have a known peanut allergy -- that's nearly one per classroom. And as we know, peanut allergies are the ones most likely to cause anaphylaxis, a reaction that can be fatal without immediate treatment.
SAGE takes food allergies very seriously. We don't use products containing peanuts and tree nuts in any schools we serve. We also avoid products made on equipment that processes peanuts and tree nuts unless the manufacturer provides evidence of safety practices that control for the risk of cross-contact. Historically, we've made an exception for peanut butter, but we no longer think this is appropriate.
To protect our students and schools, as of the new service year, SAGE will no longer serve nuts and nut products in any of our venues. This includes peanut butter, which we'll replace with SunButter® and other protein options. That's the case in the dining hall, in classrooms and with any catering events. In addition, we'll continue to refrain from purchasing any products with a warning label for being manufactured in a facility where there may be cross-contact with peanuts or tree nuts.
You know that we take pride in the strength of our food allergy management program, and in the experience and knowledge of our team of registered dietitians, who provide expertise on food allergy trends, accommodations and ADA compliance. We want to continue defining the standard in keeping all students safe.
This critical change, which reduces the possibility of fatal allergic reactions in our communities, is a necessary, potentially lifesaving response to a changing student demographic.
We appreciate your continued support with this new policy.
