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Food Allergy Policies & Procedures

The Huckins Food Program is dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive dining experience for our campers and staff who have food allergies. We are committed to providing alternatives for eaters who have allergies and intolerances to peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, dairy, sesame, eggs, fish, shellfish and soybeans. Any combinations of these allergies are dealt with on a case-by-case basis with guidance from our health team and conversations between camper families and the Food Service Director.

The Food Service Director works closely each session with the Registrar and the health team to identify all campers with food allergies. Our kitchen management team and chefs are aware of all campers and staff with allergies and develop a daily plan to provide safe, delicious food for them. The management team is involved in constant oversight of all kitchen staff to ensure proper food handling procedures. They also communicate with the Dining Hall Manager before each meal so that the menu boards contain the correct information. The Food Service Director or Sous Chef is available at every meal to answer any questions and counselors know they can come to the kitchen anytime on behalf of their campers.

If there are any question or you would like to reach out to Joel Weeman, Food Service Director, please email [email protected].

Allergy Management

In the dining hall, there are three menu boards. These list the main menu for each meal and mark off any allergens that are present in each component. Campers wit

h food allergies should consult these menus at every meal to know which items are safe for them to eat and whether they should seek out alternatives at the gluten free or dairy free tables.

The Camp Huckins kitchen and dining hall are dedicated peanut-free spaces. As a supplement to every meal, we offer Wowbutter (a soy-based peanut butter alternative) and jelly for campers to make their own sandwiches.

Procedures on Specific Allergens
This is not an all inclusive list. We encourage all families with food allergies to contact the Food Service Director to discuss the specifics of the menu and alternatives that we provide. Certain cases warrant families providing supplementary food. This is determined case-by-case and with input from the health team.
Gluten Free & Dairy Free Tables
In the dining hall, we have gluten free and dairy free tables at every meal. Campers with these allergies can find alternatives to menu items that contain them, e.g. gluten free grilled cheese or dairy free pizza, etc. The gluten free table always has gluten free bread and Wowbutter & Jelly supplies. There is a dedicated gluten free toaster by the nurse’s station. The dairy free table always has oat milk and vegan butter.

Note: Despite every effort to provide safe food for every eater, we are not a gluten free kitchen. We make and bake food from scratch and cannot guarantee that airborne gluten will not contaminate gluten free foods.

Nuts
The Camp Huckins kitchen and dining hall are dedicated peanut-free spaces. We do not serve any meals containing tree nuts and we strive to avoid purchasing products that are produced on shared equipment. Occasionally, ingredients are delivered that have been produced this way. If this is the case, it is noted on the menu boards for that meal.
Eggs
Plans for campers with egg allergies are created case-by-case after conversations with camper families and the Food Service Director.
Sesame
We are working to develop some best practices for serving campers with sesame allergies. Many products that did not previously have sesame, now contain trace amounts. All families with sesame allergies should consult with the Food Service Director to formulate a plan as sourcing sesame-safe ingredients is an on-going challenge and is changing from summer to summer.
Shellfish
We generally do not serve any shellfish. If a menu item contains shellfish ingredients, it will be noted on the menu boards.

Cross Contamination

In the kitchen, every effort is made to avoid cross-contact when preparing food. All alternative foods are prepared on a separate, clean workstation. If shared equipment is used, alternative foods are prepared first. Any equipment is meticulously cleaned and sanitized after each use. All allergy safe ingredients are stored separately and away from possible cross-contact. We do not use fryers so there is no possibility of contamination from shared oil. Prepared alternative foods waiting to be delivered to the dining hall are labeled, covered and held separately from other food.

We have salad bars available at lunch and dinner. Croutons and sunflower seeds are kept adjacent to the salad bars to avoid cross-contact with other ingredients. Dressings are made in-house and are all gluten free. However, tuna salad and cheese are kept on the salad bars and eaters with allergies to these foods should be aware of possible cross-contact.

Staff Training

All members of the kitchen team are trained to be aware of the 9 major allergens and how to keep alternative foods safe from cross-contact. Both the Food Service Director and Sous Chef are ServSafe Manager certified and hold Managing Food Allergens certificates from Allertrain.

Staff from the health team are present at every meal, including cookouts, with each camper’s epi-pen.