Talking Stick - July/August 2012 - 11

FooD For tHougHt
For a growing number of college students affected by food allergies, the independence of living away from home also involves the added responsibility of managing food allergies alone for the first time. Because of the wide variety of food allergies on a wide spectrum of severity, many colleges and universities are making it easier for these students to obtain the information necessary to manage their allergies in campus dining halls. The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the University of Colorado Boulder have both implemented food labeling programs to inform students about potential allergens in all the foods available to them. UC started the A9 Allergen Labeling Project six years ago after Lauren Heising, registered dietician and coordinator for sustainable dining at UC, began to see a marked increase in food allergies about seven years ago. Now the A9 program designates any food items that have milk, dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, or gluten in them. Similarly, as part of their MHealthy program, the University of Michigan implemented an online tool called MyNutrition which posts nutritional and allergen information for all of the dining hall food choices, allowing students to see which foods are safe for them to eat and which foods to avoid. Additionally, in the fall, dining services began listing nutritional labels designating common allergens – barley/rye, eggs, fish, milk, oats, peanuts, seeds, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat – next to entrees in dining halls. While other schools may not have specific programs for alerting students to allergens, they are still accommodating students in other ways. At Columbia University in New York City, special refrigerators provide students who suffer from celiac disease or gluten intolerance with gluten-free foods like bread, bagels, cookies, and pasta. Students are able to call or email the chef at a dining hall prior to visiting so they can eat safe foods while dining with friends. In order to provide adequate accommodations for those with serious allergies, staff must be trained to know what to look for on food labels and how to inform students. “Our chefs go through extensive training on reading labels, being mindful of added ingredients and garnish, and how allergens can change when working with leftovers,” Heising says. It is also important for all students to be aware of allergens. Labeling foods with allergens allows other students to become aware of the idea of crosscontamination – one of the biggest allergy risk factors when eating in dining halls. Because students are becoming more aware of ingredients, these schools have also noticed a shift toward different types of food. As Kristie Koerner, Columbia’s registered dietician, explains, the students “are aware of what common allergens are in the food they may have been eating beforehand. I believe that many students choose vegetarian options because they know they are healthier.” —Alexa Sibberson

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In the next Talking STick
Coming in the September + October issue: · Innovative ways campuses utilize assessments · Involving alumni in hall programming and student engagement · Using diplomacy to better advocate for students and staff

July + August 2012

Talking Stick - July/August 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - July/August 2012