The aroma of chiles simmering with beef, the sizzle of peppers hitting a sauté pan, the sight of vibrantly colored stuffed peppers and freshly fried falafel. As students will attest, some colleges have come a very long way with dining that’s safe for food allergies or celiac disease.
It’s a far cry from the days of tastelessly safe bland chicken breast and a plain baked potato. Allergic Living knows many college chefs and dietitians are diligently devising allergy-friendly menus. But for some, it doesn’t stop there – they’re also stepping up their approach with menu diversity and, yes, flavor.
“Food is so important. That’s why we want the students with food allergies to feel safe and to be part of the community,” says Dartmouth College’s Beth Rosenberger, the school’s registered dietitian and nutritionist.
Rosenberger’s vision for a safe space dedicated to students with food allergies came to fruition in the fall of 2023. That’s when the New Hampshire college’s A9 station launched. The A9 serves meals free of the top 9 allergens, and it’s located right in the main dining commons.
Before it opened, the dietitian had worried about the potential for cross-contact with allergens at Dartmouth’s self-serve, buffet-style dining stations. But at the A9, allergy protocols and a system that requires staff to dish out all meals allay such concerns.
Over at University of North Carolina Wilmington, registered dietitian Joseph Bush says: “Our goal is to build the most inclusive dining experience possible for our students living with food allergies.”
Welcome words to UNCW students, who can see the effort put into allergy-friendly offerings throughout that campus. This includes stations free of the top 9 allergens and appealing menu choices.
Allergy-Friendly Accommodations: Next Level
In this article, Allergic Living takes you inside the dining halls of four U.S. colleges, which serve up both strong food allergy protocols and menu selection. These institutions are taking students’ allergy-friendly options from “it’s not bad” to the culinary next level.
Students seeking allergy-friendly and gluten-free options on these campuses can find everything from a Purple Zone to Allergen Captains, custom meals, after-hours solutions, mobile ordering innovations, and even specialized GrubHub delivery.
The colleges Allergic Living features include:
- Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The A9 station, free from the top 9 allergens; allergy-friendly meals available at late-night dining location. Menu information.
- Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona. True Balance stations free from the top 9 allergens in every dining hall. Peanut is not used in cooking for any of the dining halls. Menu information.
- University of Maryland (UMD) in College Park, Maryland. Purple Zone stations free from the top 9 allergens in two dining halls. A dedicated gluten-free cooking space for one dining hall; self-service Purple Freezers with prepackaged allergy-friendly food to go. Menu information.
- University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) in Wilmington, North Carolina. True Balance stations free of the top 9 allergens at two dining halls; dedicated gluten-free cooking equipment at a third dining hall. The “Stress Less” section at one market features allergy-friendly grab-and-go items. Menu information.
College Dining with Allergies: Dishing Up Flavor
Dartmouth sophomore Sophia Sims is happy to find flavor-filled offerings at a dining station she trusts. “I love how the A9 station has a variety of food,” says Sims, who has celiac disease.
At the A9, she finds creative meal options, such as a deconstructed egg roll (essentially eggless egg roll fixings in a bowl). Also featured daily are soup, vegetables, salad with from-scratch dressings, and safe dessert.
“The chef also took favorites from other dining areas, such as Tuscan chicken, and modified to make them allergy-friendly,” notes Rosenberger.
While we’re making you hungry, let’s head to Maryland. Favorite meal choices from UMD’s Purple Zone allergy-friendly station include honey barbecued chicken and chipotle jicama fries with cilantro mayo.
“We’re very fortunate to have an extremely detailed allergy sous chef,” says Sister Maureen Schrimpe, IHM, who is UMD’s nutritionist and dining services quality coordinator. Christopher Inboden, the executive sous chef, replicates some favorite meals to ensure they include a variety of flavors without the allergens.
UNCW added the dedicated top 9-free True Balance stations in two of its dining halls in 2023, and they quickly became a popular choice. At the True Balance station, students can choose from cooked-to-order menus that rotate weekly. A highlight on the popular Mediterranean menu is the Beef Shawarma.
As well, the made-to-order stations in other UNCW dining halls offer options that meet the needs of college students dining with food allergies. For example, a student can build a sandwich at the deli with top 9-free bread or choose dairy-free charro beans at the Baja station. For breakfast, students can create their own egg- and dairy-free breakfast scrambles with the plant-based JUST Egg.
“We recognize that, for students requiring modified diets, being able to customize their meals makes dining much easier,” Bush says.
College Dining with Allergies: Custom Meals
The dining staffs at the four schools Allergic Living highlights also offer custom meals. This can be particularly helpful for students with multiple food allergies. Students can set up a weekly menu, order custom meals online, or ask for a specific meal to be prepared separately, on dedicated equipment.
For example, registered dietitian Alison Ozgur helps students navigate the ASU dining scene. She works with them to provide custom meals on individually wrapped plates. These will be ready to pick up at a location and time convenient for the student. She also guides them in requesting food from behind the serving line at self-serve stations, such as the salad bar.
“We are committed to nourishing all guests by providing nutritious options that fit their needs, no matter where they dine on campus,” says Ozgur, the university’s nutrition associate manager.
Arroz con Pollo (the Latin American chicken and rice dish), or comfort-food pot roast are among the allergy-friendly meal favorites at ASU.
As a dietitian, UNCW’s Bush often works directly with students navigate the allergy-friendly options on campus. But he also strives to “foster an inclusive, and safe space to explore dietary needs.”
4 Colleges: Allergy-Friendly Convenience
Technology plays an essential role in today’s college dining with allergies. Dietitians email students about ingredient changes and diners review online menus for allergen information.
It’s common for college students to rely on the convenience of their phone to order food through a mobile ordering app. While this can get tricky with food allergies, UNCW has arranged a safe way for its allergic students to use the GrubHub app.
They can order allergy-friendly meals via GrubHub that are from the True Balance station during regular hours. Pick up is available at True Balance temperature-controlled lockers, designated for GrubHub orders. “We put this system in place to fill the need for a quick on-the-go breakfast, lunch or dinner option for our students with food allergies,” Bush says.
At Pitchforks Dining Hall on the ASU campus, students can use Allergy Voyage, a new website developed by an ASU graduate who has food allergies. The website allows students to filter menus for top 9 allergens for the stations in that dining hall and some restaurants.
When hunger strikes after stations have closed, the four colleges give students allergy-friendly options. Campus convenience stores are open late and stock snacks free of top food allergens and gluten.
As well at UMD, students can find snacks to go, such as doughnuts, cookies and cheesecake in the allergy-designated Purple Freezer located in the dining halls. A sign inside lists the individually wrapped items, noting ingredients and allergens.
At Dartmouth, gluten-free French fries and vegan, gluten-free quesadillas are served as part of its late-night menu.
The P.O.D. Market at Seahawk Crossing on UNCW’s campus offers a “Stress Less” section that’s popular for snacks and grab-and-go items free of top 9 allergens. The large, dedicated allergy-friendly space in the nut-free market has a microwave, freezer, toaster, and refrigerator for allergy-friendly options.
The success of the “Stress Less” section is clear through a high volume of sales and positive student feedback. So Bush says, “we are looking to apply this concept across campus.”
Key to Success: Dining Staff ‘Buy-In’
Rosenberger says that at Dartmouth, dining staff take measures to ensure food-allergic students avoid both direct allergen exposures and cross-contact. “The staff goes out of their way to make these students feel at home and feel safe.”
Student Sims agrees. “The efforts the Dartmouth staff have put into the A9 station shows how much they care for their students,” says Sims, 19, of Berkley, Michigan.
Dining staffs at all four universities strive to make students with food allergies and celiac disease feel included. At ASU, students know they can turn to an Allergen Captain in each dining hall, Ozgur says. The Allergen Captain, who has completed training in allergen management, helps those with allergies navigate the meal options and answers any questions.
For a successful food allergy program, UMD’s Schrimpe notes, “You need to have buy-in” from the staff. She’s proudly watched dining staff members step out from behind the station to serve students meals at their seats. For example, if a student orders hash browns at the Purple Zone, but can’t have onions, an employee will prepare a safe batch, and then take it directly to the student.
“The staff takes the safety seriously and show they care with hospitality,” she says.
In March 2024, the University of Maryland hosted the Food Allergy Safety Summit for Hospitality. The college’s dining staff served allergy-friendly food at the event, hosted by the food allergy nonprofit FARE and MenuTrinfo, a leading company in allergy training and certification.
Many of the summit attendees, which included staff from several colleges, nominated UMD for MenuTrinfo’s annual top allergy award, says Betsy Craig, MenuTrinfo’s founder and CEO. The UMD staff were awarded the training company’s 2024 best overall food allergy program for universities.
Safety Steps: Staff Food Allergy Training
All of the accommodations would not be possible without substantial efforts to ensure safety through training and allergy-specific protocols.
MenuTrinfo provides various levels of allergy certification and training for college dining. Craig says the company’s AllerTrain courses offer online and in-person training to teach food service employees how to keep students with food allergies and celiac disease safe.
The four colleges Allergic Living is profiling all use some level of AllerTrain training for their dining staffs. As well, Dartmouth uses resources from the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe program.
Through the training courses, dining staff learn the proper ways to store, prepare and serve food, and how to handle cooking tools so they avoid cross-contact. Training also teaches them how to recognize and treat an allergic reaction.
Dartmouth added auto-injectors to its dining halls in 2018, after Rosenberger testified to support New Hampshire’s law to allow colleges and schools to keep “stock epinephrine” auto-injectors for emergencies. UMD, meantime, has had epinephrine auto-injectors in its dining halls since 2019.
While students should always carry their own epinephrine, these stock auto-injectors provide extra peace of mind.
Safety Steps: Dedicated Space, Auditing
Self-service stations made Sims nervous when they were her main dining option at Dartmouth, before the A9 station. She didn’t trust food advertised as being gluten-free, since other students mixed serving utensils or dropped bits of food.
“Oblivious to the harm a crumb can cause, they do not take precautions when self-serving,” Sims says. She appreciates the steps to ensure food is now free of cross-contact.
The A9 station has achieved “Certified Free From” status from MenuTrinfo for the top 9 common allergens. The certification program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Accreditation Board (ANAB).
Under the program, MenuTrinfo performs an extensive audit to ensure the protocols to prevent cross-contact are in place. This includes all ingredients, operations, food storage, and food surfaces testing. The certification process includes monthly testing and quarterly reports to verify compliance.
Protocols include only allowing food that is sealed to enter the A9, Rosenberger explains. For example, when cranberries are delivered, the A9 staff takes what it needs, then sends the rest along to other stations.
MenuTrinfo’s AllerCheck approval, meantime, indicates that the True Balance station at ASU follows proper processes, and serves menu items prepared with verified ingredients, Ozgur says. After a review of the facilities and procedures, an AllerCheck certificate confirms that protocols are in place to minimize cross-contact risk.
ASU and UNCW use dedicated storage and prep space, along with their own equipment, such as cooking pans, dishes and utensils. The color purple is used to denote that these tools are allergy safe.
UNCW’s True Balance stations are inspected through third-party Steritech audits. The college also is hoping to designate its Shore dining hall as “Certified Free From” peanuts and tree nuts by mid-September 2024, Bush says.
Communication is Essential
Even at colleges that offer allergy-friendly stations with clearly marked allergen information and the most delicious offerings, students can’t forget their role. An allergic student has to take ownership of their needs – you’ve got to communicate. Mistakes can happen. So always speak up clearly about your allergy needs – and double-check.
“Students are encouraged to advocate for themselves and ask to see labels, and complete nutrition analysis,” ASU’s Ozgur says.
Students should notify the school’s dietitian about their food allergies and celiac disease before they arrive on campus. They can learn about the resources available and how to safely navigate campus dining.
For example, allergy information with allergy icons for each meal is usually displayed in dining halls on menu screens and on menu cards displayed by each dish. It’s also shown on each school’s dining website.
“We will accommodate individual needs and help find safe food options on campus,” Ozgur says.
Once on campus, students can turn to dining staff for help locating safe options for their dietary needs. “Communication with the campus dining staff is important. We always want to make sure that our guests are dining safely,” UNCW’s Bush says.
Sidebar: UMD, the Amazing Turnaround Team
The UMD dining staff’s commitment and its MenuTrinfo award as the 2024 best university training award shows a remarkable turnaround. After a student’s legal action revealed shortcomings in accommodations, the college took seriously the opportunity to do far better.
The university ramped up its efforts for food allergy safety in 2021. It added allergy-friendly Purple Zone stations in its 251 North and South Campus dining halls, with delicious meals allergy-friendly meals now on the menu. “We really want to make sure that all of our students are able to dine with us,” Schrimpe says.
The Purple Zone in the 251 North location achieved MenuTrinfo’s highest “Certified Free From” top 9 allergens designation. Meals for both Purple Zones are made at the certified location, with dedicated cooking and storage space. As well, a dedicated gluten-free station in one UMD dining hall received MenuTrinfo’s AllerCheck approval.
The college’s introduction to MenuTrinfo and its strict allergen programs came about after former student Hannah Smith launched a lawsuit. Smith, who has celiac disease, sued UMD and the state of Maryland in 2020 for discrimination based on disability. She said she was repeatedly made ill by food containing gluten.
Lawsuit Sparked Change
UMD and the state settled with Smith, but admitted no liability. However, they agreed to compensate Smith $200,000 for her health claims and legal fees.
A settlement term said the university would retain the services of MenuTrinfo. The allergy training firm was to perform an audit and offer recommendations about allergen control processes. But UMD went much further. Over a couple of years, it fully embraced the challenge of becoming truly accommodating.
Remarkably, the college undertook several measures to make UMD a leader in food allergy accommodations. After winning the university program award, UMD says this was a team effort among Schrimpe, the senior executive chef, the executive sous chef, and the allergen station teams.
“Being a witness to University of Maryland’s program to grow stronger for those with food allergies is simply one of the largest honors of my career,” Craig says.
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