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food allergies
Jorg Braese's two sons, four-year-old Alvin and Victor, five, have allergies to gluten and egg white, but only have boring spuds to look forwards to at lunch time, thanks to their school's new catering company.
To make matters worse, the school has the baked potatoes topped with either nothing, baked beans or peas.
Their father, who runs a food wholesaler, has criticized the catering company contracted by St. Peter's Primary School in Aylesford, Kent, England, for not accommodating his boys' needs.
KMG / SWNS
Victor started at the school in 2018 and, during his first year there, experienced no issues with the food - which catered to his gluten intolerance.
But since Alvin, who has an egg white allergy, joined at the start of this school year, the boys have had issues.
The catering firm - The Contract Dining Company - changed the school lunch menu in September and, since then, the problems have started to mount.
Jorg, 56, said:
"We filled in these allergy forms before school started, but then when term began they just got given baked potatoes.
"It was fine in the first week but then we started to get nervous, especially our boys. They seem to be incompetent to give the children what they should be entitled to by law."
The pair's furious father complained to the school and, three or four weeks later, Victor and Alvin were given alternative menu options.
But then in January, when school restarted after Christmas, it happened again.
Jorg added:
"As of yesterday, they've just been served baked potatoes since then."
After complaining to the company and raising it with the head teacher, they were given an allergen menu last week which they agreed to, but when the boys sat down for lunch yesterday they were given the same meal again.
KMG / SWNS
The dad-of-two said:
"We don't understand why it is happening again. It's frustrating, and it hurts so much to see our boys suffering.
"They are really sad. They don't want to go to school, and the other boys are always laughing at them. It's such a shame, because they always loved going to school. We have spoken to the school and they have promised to do something about it, but still they keep getting the same baked potatoes every meal.
"I'm from Germany, and I've lived in the UK for ten years. I'm the director of a food wholesaler, and my wife is a medical researcher. She does a lot of research about food, so we try to give them the right food at home - lots of fruit and veg - but their school keeps letting us down."
Other kids at the school are served a range of meals - including fish and chips.
Jorg said he isn't aware if there are other children at the school enduring the same difficulties, but hopes his intervention will encourage other parents to speak out.
When reached for comment, the school's head teacher, Jim Holditch, said that the boys were being served baked potatoes because the catering company was busy drawing up a "specific menu" for them.
Holditch said:
"The father emailed me on January 20 about this, and that day I spoke to the caterers to clarify the situation."
"Apparently when a parent informs them that a child has a food allergy, they provide the parent with a specific form on which they are asked to give all relevant details of the allergy."
"The company then draws up a specific menu for the child, which is implemented. Until that process is completed, their policy is to limit the food offered and in this case that is to baked potatoes."
"Obviously no one wants that process to take any longer than necessary. The caterers will always provide for any food allergy which parents raise with them."