Pupil's allergy forces head to ban chocolate from south Wales school

A primary school near Neath is going completely chocolate free after a pupil’s allergy led the school’s leadership to ban the confectionery from the premises – including the staff room, according to the Guardian.

The pupil’s intolerance was so severe that being in the same room as someone eating chocolate was dangerous, parents at Alltwen primary school in Pontardawe were told in a letter asking them to remove all traces of chocolate from children’s bags.

“Unfortunately, one of our pupils has been diagnosed with a chocolate intolerance and can become very ill if in contact with chocolate,” Owain Hyett, the school’s headteacher, told parents.

“All areas of the school will be chocolate-free, including the staff room and office. Sadly the pupil is also highly sensitive to chocolate if it is airborne or being eaten by another pupil.

“To maintain the safety of this pupil our school will be adopting a no-chocolate policy for all pupils and staff. All areas of the school will be chocolate-free including the staff room and office.

“The catering department are working with the school to amend our dinner menu by replacing any chocolate products. We also ask that you ensure that there are no traces of chocolate in our pupils’ packed lunches or school bags.”

News of the chocolate ban left a sour taste with some parents, who complained that they had not been consulted.

“I feel sorry for pupils with allergies but banning chocolate for all children is not right, whatever next?” one parent told the South Wales Evening Post.

“What if I have chocolate in my pocket in the yard at pick-up time? Will we have ‘chocolate police’ at the gate? Will this lead to staff wasting their time inspecting all the lunch boxes?”

Similar school-wide bans have become more common because of rising awareness of the effects of allergies. A school in Lancashire recently banned pupils from bringing birthday cakes to school because teachers were unable to check for ingredients that could trigger allergies.

Many primary schools and nurseries routinely ban nuts such as peanuts and almonds following the rapid growth in nut intolerance among children.

National regulations in England have led to schools banning crisps and chocolate from lunch boxes for health reasons, while a primary school in Kent is among those to bar children from bringing in fruit juice because of the high sugar content.