can yoju bring coconut into a "nut free" environment??

**lilima** · February 20th, 2013, 10:16 AM

My understanding was that coconut and nut allergies are two seperate allergies. Does anyone have further information in regard to this. I seem to be getting mexied messages.

DD got a very condecending note in her lunchbox from kindergarten stating that I had broken the rules and brought nuts into the centre, saying that coconut is a nut.
But at Childcare that is also a nut free environment, the kids made lamingtons for Australia Day. Also DS's school says coconut is fine.

I am confused!!

**Phteven** · February 20th, 2013, 10:21 AM

The fruit of the coconut palm is a drupe not a nut.

In botany, a drupe is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin; and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a shell (the pit, stone, or pyrene) of hardened endocarp with a seed (kernel) inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel,[citation needed] and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries. The definitive characteristic of a drupe is that the hard, lignified stone (or pit) is derived from the ovary wall of the flower. In an aggregate fruit composed of small, individual drupes, each individual is termed a drupelet.

It's a nut like a koala is a bear.

**Caz_88** · February 20th, 2013, 10:22 AM

coconuts are palms, not related to tree nuts, so there is no real reason to avoid coconut for this reason

**AliBaby** · February 20th, 2013, 10:27 AM

I thought coconut belonged to the palm family and is technically a seed?

I would bring up the laminations issue and ask for further classification.

Auto correct, I meant lamingtons not laminations

**LimeSlice** · February 20th, 2013, 10:37 AM

The teacher is a moron. Coconuts are not nuts and you did nothing wrong. If they want to ban coconuts because some is allergic to them, then they need to be specific, as they are not categorised as 'nuts' = like peanuts, almonds or cashews are 'nuts'.

**Rouge** · February 20th, 2013, 10:41 AM

The teacher is a nut. Coconut is not.

**Netix** · February 20th, 2013, 11:14 AM

The teacher is a nut. Coconut is not.

Lol, yeah, that.

**jellybean88** · February 20th, 2013, 11:39 AM

Lol rouge

**Rivlas** · February 20th, 2013, 11:47 AM

I would print out what Zazou posted and take that with you when you inform this teacher what a coconut is.

If that gets you nowhere take her note and your print out to the principal and get clarification.

**lilima** · February 20th, 2013, 01:41 PM

Thanks everyone.
I also clarrified this with our dietician's here at work. They said that same thing. Not an exclusion under the 'nut allergy' banner.