Food Allergies and Dietary Restrictions
If your child has a food allergy and you have questions regarding our accommodations for that particular allergy, please call our camp office at 204.477.7512 (Sept - May) or 807.548.4178 (summer). We inform our kitchen staff, health staff, and counselors of camper allergies.
In cases of a highly selective eater with specific brand preferences or an extremely restrictive diet, the camper or staff member may be asked to bring some of their own food items to supplement what we provide. This needs to be discussed with the Camp Director at least one week prior to camp attendance, as we have limited storage space for personal food items and need to be aware of storage space required for each individual camper or staff member. Small, labeled plastic bins (shoe box size) will be provided for campers or staff members needing to store personal food items due to dietary restrictions or allergies. These can be accessed at meals by notifying a kitchen staff member.
Life Threatening Food Allergies
There are children at camp with life threatening food allergies. Please help us keep them safe and do not send any foods containing nuts, including for the bus ride. Because of children with life-threatening allergies to peanut butter, nuts and seeds, our dining hall does not serve peanut, nut or seed products.
If your child is seriously allergic: TELL US! Make sure the allergy info is on the Medical Form and E-mail or phone the Executive Director before Camp to make an allergy safety plan for your child (jhenoch@bbcamp.ca or at Camp at 807.548.4178)
If your child has a life-threatening allergy, we REQUIRE that they come to Camp with two (2) EpiPens. One EpiPen should be in a fanny pack for your child to wear whenever they are out of the cabin, and the other for the Health Centre to keep.
Our Peanut/Tree Nut Aware Policy
Peanut/Tree Nut aware at BB Camp means that food served in our dining hall does not contain peanuts, peanut butter, peanut oil or any form or derivative of peanut or tree nut in the least. Our peanut/tree nut free foods do not contain peanut stearate or “traces of peanut”. Even if the ingredient label reads, “May have traces of nuts or peanut,” we treat this label as if it read, “has nuts or peanuts”.
As a Peanut/Tree Nut Aware Camp we make every attempt to ensure that no person is placed in a situation and/or environment that may endanger their life and therefore we take the following precautions:
Every summer our staff are re-educated about the dangers that can be associated with peanuts and similar nut products to children and adults with severe allergies
Parents of children who have a known allergy to nuts / peanuts are consulted prior to Camp regarding the severity of the child’s allergy, the symptoms and the emergency procedures to be followed in case of an allergic reaction.
Every child with a nut allergy will carry and have direct access to an Epi-pen, all staff are trained on how to administer an Epi-pen.
We will monitor all foods of any kind being brought onto the campsite. If we believe a camper or staff has brought food items that may impact the well-being of a camper or staff with nut allergies, the food will be immediately confiscated.
All packages arriving to Camp will be thoroughly inspected to ensure that no nut products are brought onto the campsite.
Peanut butter may be sent on a canoe trip if the entire group (campers and staff) do not have a nut allergy. If a camper or staff member does have a nut allergy, an alternate protein product will be sent.
For campers with severe food allergies that require an Epi-pen to be brought to Camp, parents need to indicate this information on the health information form, on how the camper needs to be treated in case of exposure.
Other Dietary Restrictions
We have an excellent vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free menu. For lactose intolerant children, don't send lactose free milk, we supply it. If your child is seriously allergic: TELL US! Make sure the allergy info is on the Health Information Form and in addition, for your child’s safety, e-mail or phone the Executive Director before Camp to make an allergy safety plan for your child (jhenoch@bbcamp.ca or at Camp at 807.548.4178).