Markdale, ON – Inspired by a little boy who wanted to serve ice cream at his birthday party, Chapman’s was among the first in Canada to produce peanut and nut-free ice cream.
“We decided that every Canadian should be able to celebrate with a worry-free scoop,” say Chapman’s president, Penny Chapman. “Our team got to work and developed ice cream everyone could enjoy safely.”
Since then, the demand for peanut and nut-free frozen treats has only continued to grow.
According to a nationwide AllerGen survey, peanut allergies affect 2.4% of children in Canada and 0.7% of adults. In addition, 1.7% of Canadian children and 1.2% of adults have a tree nut allergy. As public schools, daycares, sports clubs, community centres and other public places introduce nut-free policies, it’s estimated that a third of all Canadians are now nut conscious.
Whether parents are preparing school lunches or planning birthday parties and other social events where food will be served, they have to taking potential nut allergies into consideration. When it comes to ice cream and frozen treats, Chapman’s is proud to offer Canadians plenty of peanut and nut-free choice.
Chapman’s line of Original Ice Cream, Lolly’s, Twisters, Sorbets and Supers all offer nut-free options, with the company’s ‘Red Flag’ labelling making it easy to identify which products are safe. “We’ve made a huge commitment to develop innovative products that are guaranteed peanut and nut-free,” Chapman says.
That commitment includes building a separate facility – with a separate loading dock – exclusively for Chapman’s peanut and nut-free products. The facility is staffed by a dedicated workforce that understands the importance of ensuring nothing nutty enters.
Chapman’s also partners with suppliers who guarantee the safety of their products. “One of the challenges of nut-free manufacturing is finding nut-free suppliers you can rely on,” notes Chapman. “There are very few in Canada.”
As a final precaution, Chapman’s works with an outside lab to run analysis on all incoming ingredients and finished products, just to make sure nothing is overlooked.
Chapman’s commitment to allergen safety has been recognized by Anaphylaxis Canada.
“We’re always working hard to meet the changing needs of Canadian consumers,” says Chapman. “When it comes to developing delicious and safe nut free ice cream and frozen treats, we’re proud to be an industry leader.”
For more information about Chapman’s peanut / nut free production facility, or to request an interview, please contact media@chapmans.ca
