Food allergies can cause everything from a mild runny nose to anaphylactic shock and death. Once inside jail or prison there’s little an inmate can do to control his or her diet, but if your girlfriend is incarcerated and has food allergies, the following tips can help. Contact the jail nurse:  Hopefully, your girlfriend remembered to let them know about her allergies when she went in. She would have been asked about them during her medical visit; however, if she was nervous, scared or angry she may not have remembered them at that moment. Call: Call the nurse and leave a message on the voicemail if he or she cannot come to the phone. Provide your girlfriend’s name, inmate number and the name of the food she is allergic to. Your girlfriend will have to verify this information but at least the message will get them asking the questions. Fax it in: Every jail has a fax number. Put the needed information on the fax and send it. Jailexchange.com provides fax numbers for each facility. Extra commissary money: The jail is legally responsible for your girlfriend’s medical care and physical wellbeing. This means that she cannot be forced to eat anything she is allergic to, however, it does not mean that they have to prepare special meal plans for her. They may fix her a special tray that has that particular food missing, but it probably won’t be replaced with another food. You can help by putting extra money on her books each week so she can get enough snacks to keep from getting hungry. Final thoughts: The idea of your girlfriend having food allergies and being in jail can be frightening for you, but try to relax. On the outside she had to learn to inquire about food sources and avoid those that caused her problems. She can do the same thing in jail and your extra book money will help keep her full. Related subjects: Understanding Food Allergies Video Food allergies and food intolerance from WebMD