Pedalheads B.C. offers a series of bike day camps in the Lower Mainland for kids aged two to 12 from the beginning of July through end of August. Part of its mandate to keep kids safe is a reminder to parents that children should bring snacks without nuts.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one more safety mechanism,鈥� said Claudia Sjoberg, owner of Atlantic Programs and Pedalheads Inc. 聽
One of the major steps camps do to ensure food safety is make sure instructors don鈥檛 share food with the kids 鈥� and that kids don鈥檛 share with each other.
鈥淭he kids eat their own snacks and that鈥檚 the biggest way that we can control what goes on,鈥� said Sjoberg. 鈥淭hat way we can keep kids from going, 鈥楬ey that looks good, can I try some of yours?鈥� We absolutely don鈥檛 allow that.鈥�
She said the camp has had the rule for years but hesitates to call it a full-on policy.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like we can absolutely have an iron fist about who鈥檚 bringing stuff in,鈥� said Sjoberg.
The nut-free snack rule is a good way to remind everyone to be conscious of the fact that some children are allergic to nuts and to be careful, said Sjoberg. And even though it鈥檚 not a strict rule, Sjoberg said Pedalheads has never had any problems relating to allergies. She added it can help parents whose kids don鈥檛 have nut allergies to empathize with those do.
鈥淪ometimes you forget or you just don鈥檛 even know what other parents have to go through and how stressful it is for parents who do have these issues,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really good way to remind other parents to think, 鈥業鈥檝e got to be aware of this 鈥� if I鈥檓 careless it could affect another child.鈥欌��
Camp Shalom of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater 麻豆传媒映画also has a nut-free rule as well as a vegetarian rule 鈥� the first because of allergies and the second due to religion.
Kids from preschool age to Grade 8 attending day camps bring nut and meat-free meals to keep kids with nut allergies safe, as well as to abide by some of the rules of Judaism.
In Jewish religion, for example, Kosher meat is prepared in a certain way and so the camp avoids any traditional rule-breaking by banning meat altogether, though they can bring fish.
鈥淣obody brings any meat from outside, so there鈥檚 no risk of mixing dairy and meat,鈥� said director Shirly Goldstein. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 more on the same side of the diet.鈥�
But you don鈥檛 have to be Jewish to attend, as Goldstein explained, about 30 per cent of campers are not.
For parents wondering what kinds of foods their kids can bring, Goldstein said the camp offers suggestions such as egg and tuna salad sandwiches, hummus and carrots and other healthy options.
Goldstein said that to accommodate children with allergies besides nuts, Camp Shalom notifies everyone in the two-week-long session that has a child with a severe allergy, for example to gluten, and tells only kids in that session to also bring gluten-free food, but not the whole camp.
鈥淲e always keep the peanut-free environment, but now it鈥檚 different 鈥� a whole array of new things,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o we have to be very careful.鈥�
She noted the camp is always open to input and suggestions from parents as well.
Activities at Camp Shalom include a daily swim, theme days, arts and crafts and some programs based on traditional Jewish values. The camps run from June 29 to Aug. 21.
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