Special Dietary Needs / Food Allergens

Special Dietary Needs

Medical Statement for Children with Special Dietary Needs Texas Department of Agriculture - Child Nutrition Guidelines

"Each special dietary request must be supported by a statement that explains the food substitution that is requested. It must be signed by a recognized medical authority (physicians, physician assistants or nurse practioners)."

The physician statement must identify;

*The child’s disability
*An explanation of why the disability restricts the child’s diet:
*The major life activity affected by the disability:
*The food or foods to be omitted from the child’s diet and the food or choice of foods that must be substituted.

The medical statement will be kept on file during the time frame the student is in school in the cafeteria and at the main child nutrition office. A copy of the medical statement should be provided to the both the school nurse as well as the cafeteria manager.

An medical statement is required in order to be noted in the cafeteria point of sale system (cash register). Please contact your cafeteria manager if you need assistance with special dietary needs. We can work to make limited substitutions with other food items we have on hand to assist with special diet requests. Parents will need to mark menus for their children with special dietary needs. The cafeteria manager will follow these during the school year. Please introduce your child and discuss their allergies with the cafeteria manager so he/she is familiar with your child and circumstances. We also suggest that you contact the school nurse.

Food Allergens

Northside ISD does not contact food manufacturers to determine if food items are manufactured in a plant where peanuts, nuts or any other allergens may be present in tract amounts. We do not serve products known to contain peanuts as an ingredient in our schools. We cannot guarantee that foods we purchase have not been in contact with peanuts or other nuts during manufacturing.

A Food Allergens Quick Reference List has been compiled from available manufacturer labels containing potential food allergens for the 8 most common allergies (Milk/Dairy, Eggs, Peanuts/Nuts, Soy, Wheat, Fish/Shellfish, Other). See attached list. This is strictly to be used as a resource guide only. It is not a guarantee of ingredients in all foods. Products stocked by Northside ISD change due to supplier changes or substitutions. Manufacturers may also change formulation and ingredient profiles without the knowledge of Northside ISD Child Nutrition Department. Parents are welcome to look at any ingredient label on food products at the school cafeteria. Northside Independent School District is not responsible for and cannot guarantee the accuracy of any of the nutritional information contained on this site. The information contained on this site is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other healthcare professional. A detailed label book is also available at the main Child Nutrition Office located at 7520 Mainland Drive upon request with a scheduled appointment at 397-4504. For students that have severe allergies it is strongly suggested that parents mark a menu for the cafeteria staff to follow or encouraged to bring meals from home. The Child Nutrition Department cannot be responsible for insuring a child’s menu selections are free from allergens.

Menu Analysis – Please see Menu Analysis section for breakdown of calories, carbohydrates, fat, protein etc.

Attachment	Size
Food Allergens Quick Reference List	62.8 KB