Camp Piankatank's Food Allergies and Dietary Needs Policies

We want all children to feel welcome at camp, which, of course, includes children with food allergies. We have successfully served many campers with many different food allergies. Below is our policy to help you plan for your child to have a great week at camp.

Campers with food allergies are the most successful if the camper is well aware of their allergy needs, asks questions, and actively participates in eating safely.

We serve food cafeteria-style. When your camper comes up in line, the food service staff do not know who they are unless the camper tells us! We serve up to 100-150 at a time; it is not reasonable to expect the rotation of kitchen staff to identify a specific person. The camper must tell us, “I’m gluten-free” or “I’m Jimmy, I can’t eat meat”. A camper not telling us who they are is the most likely cause of not getting the food they need. They also should not assume that the servers remember. They need to tell us every time they come in line.

Campers submit their food allergy needs within their health form. IF YOUR HEALTH FORM ISN’ T SUBMITTED, WE MAY NOT PLAN FOR YOUR NEEDS. All campers are advised to submit their forms ASAP, but this is especially true for those with food allergies. We print the list of allergies for the kitchen team on Sunday before check-in. If you submit your form after this, we may not know about the camper’s needs.

We do not make special food for preferences or picky eaters, as this is impossible to plan for.

Campers need to actively participate in eating safely. “What does this mean?” We have had cases of campers purposely/willfully “testing” their limits with their allergies or their family’s food beliefs. They can easily do this at camp. You need to talk with them before camp about the importance of making safe eating choices. Campers will have access to all foods and will need to make appropriate choices.

Common Allergies and Camp Piankatank’s response:

Tree-Nut and Peanut Allergies- The kitchen meals do not serve any food items that directly contain tree nuts or peanuts. The camp store does have items that contain peanuts; these items are in their labeled packages. If an item is “made in a factory that has peanuts,” We will identify that product to the camper. OR the item is in a package that clearly marks this- like a granola bar. Campers with nut allergies need to be able to read package labels and identify if they should eat a product.

The camp store does have items that contain peanuts; these items are in their labeled packages. Day campers sometimes bring their lunch from home (but don’t have to); they may bring items that contain peanuts/tree nuts.

Gluten Free- We keep in stock many food items that are gluten-free. We keep GF bread, GF pasta, GF waffles, and GF cereal.  We also serve a lot of items that are naturally gluten-free, like vegetables, cheese, meat, etc. If a main dish menu item contains gluten, we will have an alternative that is similar to the menu item. While not every item is certified as GF, we look at ingredient lists very carefully. Many campers on a GF diet bring some supplemental food. This is great. Please send it in one bag that is labeled with the camper’s name, and write their name on the food packages. They will need to ask for the food you sent at mealtimes. It will not be in their cabin for anytime access, just like other campers do not have access to food in the cabins. Any supplemental meals provided from home need to be easily reheated in a microwave and not expire during the duration of the camp session. At pick-up, please ask a staff member for your bag of unused food.

Dairy Free/ Lactose Free- This is one of our most mis-reported allergies. Dairy-allergic and lactose-intolerant are very different needs. It is very helpful to identify your needs specifically. Are you allergic or just intolerant? Can you have lactose-free products? Can you have a small amount of dairy?

Dairy-free or allergic to dairy means you are allergic to all milk proteins, and all milk products, and even small amounts cause an allergic reaction. Milk baked into a muffin or a pancake would trigger the allergy. Butter would trigger this allergy.

Lactose-free or lactose-intolerant individuals can often have some hard cheese or lactose-free milk products. Butter does not contain lactose. For these individuals, having a lactose pill can alleviate their symptoms, so sometimes they eat it and take a pill.

Reports like “can eat cheese sometimes” or “please limit dairy” are left up to the camper’s discretion. This child needs to be independent enough to self-regulate these choices.

Avoidance of food dyes- This is a need that the camper needs to self-monitor and actively participate in choices without dyes. They need to choose water instead of pink lemonade. You should talk with your camper about looking at labels, or asking what is in the food, and making choices based on this need.

Vegetarians- When we have reported vegetarians, we will make an alternative for these campers when the main dish contains meat. The vegetarian alternative is made only for the reported vegetarians. The camper needs to tell us who they are when they come in the food line. This is one of the food needs that, if this is a family preference, you need to talk about its importance to you before camp. The child will have access to meat and needs to actively participate in avoiding it.

Vegan- Most of our vegetarian items contain egg or milk products. If your child follows a vegan diet, we recommend bringing supplemental food items to ensure they have enough to eat throughout the week.

No Pork or No Beef- We will provide an alternative if this is a reported need and the main dish contains pork/beef. This camper needs to be aware of what foods commonly contain pork- sausage and ham. What commonly contains beef- hot dogs, hamburgers, spaghetti, etc. They will need to ask for their special plate. This is one of the needs that, if this is a family belief, you need to talk about the importance to you before camp. The child will have access to this food and needs to actively participate in avoiding pork/beef.

Halal- None of our meat is certified as Halal.

Kosher- We do not have a kosher kitchen or any kosher-certified foods.

Organic Food- None of our food is organic.