Plymouth Elementary Schools Ban Peanut Butter Sandwiches From Cafeterias

In an effort to protect children with food allergies, the Plymouth School Committee has voted to ban peanut products, including peanut butter sandwiches, from being sold at the cafeterias elementary schools and the preschool in the town.

The policy will go into effect on Jan. 18. The town’s middle and high school cafeterias will continue to sell peanut products.

Students in the elementary schools and preschools will still be allowed to take peanut butter sandwiches and the like to school from home. The school will maintain peanut-free tables in the cafeteria, and monitors will continue to check on students to ensure those with allergies do not have contact with the potentially deadly products.

School officials say there are nearly 200 students in the district with peanut allergies.

The move will have a major impact on the district’s food services program.

Patrick Van Cott, the district’s food service director, told Wicked Local that his cafeterias sell 40,000 peanut butter sandwiches per year, and half of those are sold in the elementary schools.

The new policy will have a direct impact on students who receive free and reduced lunch.

Many of those students opt for peanut butter sandwiches at lunch, Van Cott says.

School officials opted to delay implementation of the new policy until the middle of the month to allow families time to learn about the change and make alternative plans if necessary.