A special diet will be arranged for student meals for health reasons based on a medical certificate. The medical certificate and a notification of a special diet completed on its basis are must be delivered to the kitchens at the educational institute.
A medical certificate is not required for a low-lactose or lactose-free diet, vegetarian diet or any diet based on religious beliefs. The medical certificate regarding a special diet should be requested from the place where the need for it was diagnosed.
A student who has notified of a special diet will not receive any food items inappropriate for their diet. The menu of a student on a special diet is created to resemble the menu of other students as closely as possible.
The special diet notification form must be submitted at the beginning of every school year, preferably before the beginning of the studies. The notification of a special diet and medical certificate must be submitted to the educational institute for all foods to be avoided.
If you have questions about implementing a special diet in student meals, please contact the educational institute’s kitchen staff.
Note that the special diet notification form is in Finnish.
Allergies
Dairy, egg, wheat, fish and nuts are the most common causes of severe allergic reactions. An allergen-free diet is based on a diagnosis and medical certificate provided by a doctor. All foods that cause severe or harmful symptoms to be avoided in student meals must be recorded in the notification of a special diet, and require a medical certificate. Nutritionally vital food items will be replaced with other appropriate food items.
If the diet is particularly restricted, a personal diet plan must also be appended to the notification. The educational institute must be informed of the use of adrenaline injections and what the course of treatment is if the young person accidentally eats a food to be avoided. When a food becomes permitted in the diet of a young person with a food allergy, the kitchen must be informed of this in writing. It is not necessary to submit a new medical certificate.
Vegetarian diet and diets based on religious beliefs
Persons on a vegetarian diet are served lacto-ovo vegetarian food, which includes dairy and egg as well as grain products, vegetables, fruit and berries. Gelatin and other animal ingredients and additives may also be present in food. No other vegetarian food options are served besides the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. No medical certificate is required for a vegetarian diet. Vegetarian food is served as an alternative to the basic lunch every day. In the case of religion-based diets, pork, beef or blood products are primarily replaced with the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. No medical certificate is required for diets based on religious beliefs.
Coeliac disease
Wheat, rye and barley are replaced with gluten-free grain and gluten-free products with an analysed gluten content of less than 20 mg/kg. If the student cannot eat gluten-free oat or gluten-free wheat starch, it must be indicated in the notification of a special diet.
Lactose intolerance
Milk products containing lactose will be replaced with low-lactose or lactose-free products. Low-lactose milk/sour milk or a lactose-free milk beverage is served at meals. The notification form is used to indicate whether a low-lactose or lactose-free diet is needed. No medical certificate is needed for these.
Mild symptoms caused by foods
If the student gets mild symptoms from a food, these are taken into account by moving the food item in question to the side during the meal. In this case, no special diet or medical certificate is required. Food items causing mild allergic symptoms that pass without intervention, such as itchy mouth and flushed skin, typically include uncooked vegetables and fruit (tomato, carrot, apple), especially with children suffering from birch pollinosis or atopic dermatitis. In many cases, vegetables and fruit causing mild symptoms can be eaten cooked without any problems. Allergies to food additives and spices are extremely rare.
Diet experiments
Diet experiments, i.e. the temporary avoidance of a certain food, are carried out only on the basis of a medical certificate. The exact time period of the diet experiment must be indicated on the special diet form. In such case, the food items to be avoided according to the medical certificate will be left out. No other diet experiments will be implemented. New food items must always be tested at home first, not at school.