PBJ
One of the common arguments against a peanut butter ban in schools is that the good ol' PBJ sandwich is a cheap way to make a nutritious lunch. "The majority of parents ... don’t support a peanut butter ban ... (because) it makes an economical lunch, and often is the only thing their kids will eat," according to a school board member from Connecticut.
Though it could certainly be true that this is the only thing many kids will eat, I suspect it is also true that many parents find that PBJ is the quickest and easiest thing to make that is also nutritious. Simplicity might be the key.
Product reviews seem to indicate that kids are amenable to a switch to Peabutter. That leaves only the 'economics' argument. PeaButter costs $8 per pound vs $5 for peanut butter. If the average sandwich takes 1 oz of peanut butter then we're looking at 44 cents a sandwich for peabutter and 28 cents for peanut butter. Based on the meagre savings of 16 cents per sandwich you are saving about 80 cents a week by opting for the cheaper alternative. Hardly a compelling reason to avoid the switch if it promotes safety for allergic children.
If kids like Peabutter and it is still fairly inexpensive, then a school ban on peanut butter seems to be less aggregious. Throw in a few coupons from the maker of Peabutter to help the product gain traction and I think we'd have a winner.
1 comment:
Parentsof peanut and tree-nut allergic kids might be interested in trying a product called SunButter. It is made of sunflower seeds, in a peanut/tree-nut-free facility. It tastes remarkably like peanut butter. My children attend a nut-free school in CT, and after I alerted the principal to the exstence of this product (which is also certified kosher), we integrated it into our hot-lunch program. The kids love it! Even those who eat peanut butter at home. Check it out at www.sunbutter.com. It has been a great addition to our peanut-free kitchen.
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