Allergy Diets
Allergy Diets
Edwards and Blake Allergy Menus – A Guide for Parents
As your child’s school caterer, Edwards and Blake aims to ensure that children with allergies and intolerances are supported and receive a tasty, nutritious, and safe meal. Our dietitians and catering teams work together and follow a robust process, so you can feel reassured that whenever safely possible, an alternative menu will be provided for your child.
Which children will require an alternative menu?
- Children with diagnosed food allergies or diagnosed food intolerances.
- Children with other medical conditions requiring an adapted menu, for example Type 1 Diabetes, PKU, Cystic Fibrosis, Ketogenic Diets, amongst others.
Those with religious, cultural, or personal requirements/ preferences, can choose from the standard menu and do not need to complete a medical diet request form. This includes vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan and Halal requirements
How to apply for an alternative menu
- Complete the online medical diet request form via the following link: https://orders.lunchhound.co.uk/medicaldiets/request (see page 3 for further information)
- Supply a recent photograph of your child.
- Provide medical evidence if required (see below).
Medical evidence – do I need it?
You do not need to provide medical evidence if your child only
needs to avoid any of the top 14 allergens (see box 1)
Medical evidence is needed for:
- Allergies to any food not listed in the top 14 allergens e.g. pea.
- A combination of the top 14 allergens and non-top 14 allergens
e.g. gluten and pea
- Medical conditions requiring an adapted menu e.g. Type 1 Diabetes
Written medical evidence must come from a dietitian, GP, or consultant.
No other medical evidence is permitted, including results from home analysis kits
Box 1 - The top 14 allergens
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We only provide menus that exclude the whole allergen and not different forms of cooked or raw products, for example we do not partake in the milk ladder or differentiate between raw or baked egg. Once we have been informed a child can tolerate an allergen in full, only then will we reintroduce it to their lunch menu.
How do I apply for a medical diet?
- If your child requires a medical diet due to a food allergy, food intolerance or a medical condition that requires an adapted menu (e.g. carbohydrate count for Type 1 Diabetes), please follow this link to request a medical diet:
https://orders.lunchhound.co.uk/medicaldiets/request
- Fill in the form ensuring all data fields are completed. Before you complete the form, you will need to know the postcode of your child’s school. You will also need to upload a recent photograph of your child.
- You will need to provide medical evidence in the form of a letter from a GP, paediatrician, or dietitian if your child has allergies that fall outside of the top 14 allergens (see box 1) or, if your child has a medical condition requiring an adapted menu.
- After you have clicked the ‘submit’ button, the system will send you an automated email containing a link which you must click on to verify your email address.
- Only once you have verified your email address, will the system notify your child’s school of your request. The system will ask school to confirm your child’s details. Once school have approved the request, the system will send you another notification email to inform you that your request has been sent to our Nutrition & Wellness Team for processing.
- You will receive a confirmation email when the request has been processed by our Nutrition & Wellness Team. The school office will be provided with a copy of your child’s medical diet menu within 2 weeks of your initial request, which they will pass on to you.
Changing my child’s medical diet
If your child’s allergy or medical dietary needs change, you must update their information by creating a new request on LunchHound. Using the link below, you will need to complete the form and enter your child’s details, including their previous and new allergies . Any new requests to avoid foods outside the top 14 allergies must be supported by medical evidence. The changes will then be submitted to the Nutrition and Wellness Team for processing, and an updated medical diet menu will be created and sent to the school office. School will then pass the menu onto you. https://orders.lunchhound.co.uk/medicaldiets/request
Removing my child’s medical diet
If your child no longer requires a medical diet, you need to click the link below. Please complete the data fields then tick the box under heading number 7, ‘Remove Existing Medical Diet’. This will ensure your child is correctly matched to the information in our records and the Nutrition and Wellness Team can approve the medical diet removal request. You do not need to attach additional medical evidence to create a removal request. https://orders.lunchhound.co.uk/medicaldiets/request
What happens next?
Edwards and Blake’s Nutrition & Wellness Team will prepare a medical diet menu based on the current standard menu. The allergen information is supplied directly from our manufacturers and suppliers, and products that are labelled with a ‘may contain’ for that allergen will also be excluded. The menu will include a main meal, vegetarian, jacket potatoes and pasta, dessert, fruit, yoghurt, and salad. Please note, choices may vary depending on your child’s school.
Your child’s menu will normally be created within 2 weeks of receiving all the required information. If the menu is more complex, or further advice from a health care professional is needed it may take longer to produce, and you will be informed of any delay through the catering team.
Whilst your child's menu is being processed, they can bring in a packed lunch or be served an appropriate jacket potato with filling and a piece of fruit. Once processed, you will receive a copy of the menu so you can select which dishes your child would like and these will be passed on to the school.
You will receive a new medical diet menu for your child when the school’s menu changes after the Easter holidays, and after October half term.
What happens on Theme Days?
Occasionally schools will serve a different ‘themed’ menu for a specific occasion. To ensure that your child is fed safely, they will continue to be served a dish from their approved medical diet menu.
What if my child requires a carbohydrate count?
If your child has Type 1 Diabetes, and we have received the request forms and medical evidence, you will receive a carbohydrate count detailing the carbohydrate per typical serving of the meals on your child’s school menu. This information on the carbohydrate count is taken from a report generated automatically from our menu management
system using the data directly provided by the manufacturers and suppliers we use.
For more information on our school catering please visit www.elior.co.uk/our-sectors/education.