What’s a Parent to Do – Collegiate Edition
If your student has a food allergy or special dietary need, you’ve likely spent a lot of time and effort making sure all the food you serve at home is safe for them. It may not have been easy, but hopefully you’ve settled into a system that you and they both feel comfortable with.
Now with college on the horizon, you might feel some trepidation mixed with pride, as your student gets ready to move to a college campus where they’ll be managing their food allergy on their own for the first time.
As a parent, there’s lots to worry about. Will they have enough to eat? Will they be sure to read the allergen information on the menu? Will they feel comfortable asking for help if they need it?
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Sarah Fine, Registered Dietitian
As students with special diet needs embark on their college career, parents should know that colleges have a wealth of resources to help. With thoughtful planning, lots of communication, and by carefully coaching and preparing your student before they leave, you can empower them to live independently with peace of mind that they’ll be able to thrive on campus, even with their food allergy.
“Dining services management teams and dietitians are here to support the transition,” says Collegiate Hospitality Dietitian Sarah Fine. “Dietitians like me, and others on the food service team, get extensive training about food allergen safety practices. We’re not strangers to this. It’s always been important to us, and it has become even more important as the number of students facing this challenge has been growing year after year.”
In this installment of our “What’s a Parent to Do – Collegiate Edition” blog series, Sarah helps us understand how to successfully navigate your college student’s special diet needs.
Q: What are the basics parents should know about on-campus support for students with special diet needs?
Support for your student begins long before they even start their college experience. Many dining hall management teams have meet and greet sessions with students well before they choose a college—while they’re touring prospective schools.
This gives both parents and students the chance to decide if they’re comfortable with how a college handles food allergies and special diets. The onsite tour is a great opportunity to learn more and begin to ask questions. For students that can’t come in person, Sarah suggests having a virtual meeting.
Once your student has committed to a college, there’s no need to wait until school starts to begin communicating with the dining team.
Sarah says she often meets with students who’ve identified themselves as having an allergy during the summer months before their freshman year. If that’s not convenient, she recommends setting up an appointment with the dining dietitian or food service manager as soon as school starts.
Some schools also have events like “Dine with the Dietitian” where students with food allergies can hear from the dietitian directly and have an opportunity to ask their questions, while also hearing questions that other students may have.
Parents–and students–should know that dining teams want relationships with students with food allergies to be interactive.
“Open dialogue and ongoing communication are essential to success,” Sarah says. “Students should feel comfortable asking questions and raising concerns if they have any. It’s the dining team’s priority to make sure everyone has access to nutritious food that’s safe for them,” adds Sarah.
Q: What choices and information are usually available for students with food allergies?
While choices for students with food allergies are usually more limited than those available to students without any restriction, dining services teams understand how important it is for all students to have a variety of choices.
“Exploring different foods and cuisines is part of the college experience,” Sarah highlights, “and a variety of healthy foods is what powers students’ ability to succeed and thrive—both academically and socially.”
When your student has questions, Sarah shares that dining services managers and dietitians start by providing ingredient information for the specific menu selection they’re interested in. While each school and dining location may be different, dining services will usually have lists of the specific ingredients that go into their menu items.
Also, Sarah points out that many colleges and universities now have dedicated stations with food made without the top nine allergens and gluten.
These special stations are often staffed by associates who undergo additional allergen training. Stations like these may go through regular audits to assure that food allergen related safety protocols are being followed closely.
“The great thing about these dedicated allergen stations is that chefs and dietitians have worked together to create a diverse menu of choices,” Sarah says.
Q: How can parents empower students to manage their special dietary needs independently, while also being there when needed for support?
Parents can, and should, start to talk to your student well before the start of school.
“Encourage your student to get in the habit of speaking up for themselves about their food allergy,” says Sarah.
For example, when out as a family at restaurants, have them take the lead when it comes to asking about ingredients and sharing concerns. When it’s time to reach out to the college of their choice, have your student take the lead in contacting the dining services manager or dietitian. This will help empower your student to be their own advocate and will help them gain independence well before they set foot on campus.
“It goes beyond the dining hall, too,” says Sarah. “Developing these types of skills will help them in all facets of life.” This may come more naturally to some rising college students than others.
But parents play an important role in reinforcing and supporting their student’s ability to advocate for their needs. Remember, the dining services manager or on-site dietitian is expecting them to reach out, and they welcome the interaction and want to actively engage to help.
Q: My student and I have been managing their food allergy for years. What steps do we need to take as they transition to college life? Is there a checklist we can go by?
Sarah stresses the importance of setting up an initial meeting with the dining services manager or dietitian. This could coincide with a campus visit or during orientation when they first arrive on campus.
Explore the dining services website and menu. If you’re visiting in person, try to see the dining location they’ll be eating at most frequently during mealtime.
Visit the various stations and check out the signage. Some schools will list all ingredients on signs, while others may have QR codes students can scan to see both nutrition and ingredient information. Become familiar with the school’s unique system since every school is different.
Tour other dining locations that they may be visiting less frequently.
Meanwhile, consider setting up meetings with the school’s health services and disability services departments, especially if your student requires a special housing accommodation.
Make sure your student knows how to get help in case of an emergency related to their allergy. If your student takes medication, drive home the importance of carrying their medication with them at all times, and get them used to the idea of reading signs in the dining hall.
If they’re living on campus, your student may also want to touch base with their resident advisor in their dormitory to talk about their allergy and ask questions, for instance, can they have their own mini-fridge or microwave in their room.
Q: What are some examples of menu changes that might be made from a student speaking up?
Sarah emphasizes that dining teams appreciate student feedback regarding the menu. The dining team is open to adjusting the menu if there is a student concern that can affect the student population. Making changes to support students with special dietary needs is something that they are used to doing.
One example Sarah shares is of a student with a nut allergy who rarely had a dessert to eat without nuts. The student raised her concern with staff who were able to offer more sweets made without nuts.
For students who can’t have gluten, if staff with baking expertise aren’t available, a dining station could keep gluten-free cookie dough on hand.
Sarah shares another example where a vegetarian student approached her with a request for more veggie options at her school’s deli station. It was an easy change to arrange for hummus to be stocked at the station, giving vegetarian students the option to make hummus wraps.
Sarah also notes that her dining team added salad bar items to the school’s prepared foods allergen station, so that students concerned about cross-contact at the dining hall’s general salad bar could have an alternative.
Q: My student recently discovered a new food allergy. What should we know to best support them?
“Unfortunately, students may discover a new allergy while they’re away at college,” says Sarah, “and colleges are well equipped to support them.” If a student thinks they have a new allergy, they should meet with their allergist or doctor, or both, and consider what type of testing might be helpful for them.
Once they’ve identified the specific source of the food allergy, the dining services manager or dietitian can meet with them to help them navigate on-campus dining and menus and make sure they’re aware of what options are available for them.
Q: What steps should a parent take to make sure the college food service team has the information they need to support your student?
It’s important to know that dining staff usually won’t automatically know which students have which allergies, even if you indicated an allergy on paperwork you submitted to the school. This is because of privacy regulations—since each student’s individual information is private, in many cases the school is not authorized to share it with other departments.
That’s why it’s critical for students to directly reach out to and connect with the dining services manager or dietitian. They can find the email address or phone number on the college website. Dining services representatives are typically available during admitted students’ day and orientation, so students should be able to easily approach them in person to get connected to the right person.
Also because of these same privacy concerns, remember that not all dining team members will necessarily know about a student’s allergy at every visit. So, if speaking to someone new in the dining hall about the ingredients in a certain food item, your student should offer details and self-advocate as they ask questions.
Q: My college student follows a special diet based on their beliefs, like kosher, halal, vegetarian, or vegan. What should we know or do to help them at school?
Colleges prioritize making sure that students with other special dietary needs have a variety of choices. Allergies are definitely not the only special diets that new students are thinking about.
Almost every school has a diverse student body with unique needs that the dining services team prides themselves on accommodating. Different schools will accommodate students in different ways depending upon the demand for certain types of selections.
“While being a vegetarian or vegan is very different from having a food allergy, there are lots of similarities nonetheless,” says Sarah. “Students that follow other special diets need to feel comfortable actively engaging with dining staff, too. Open and ongoing communication is key.”
Dining staff can help students know what to look for on menus to find the food that fits their life. Some schools have dedicated kosher, halal, or plant-forward stations, including options like late-night meals for Ramadan.
Dining services may work with student life groups like Hillel to fine-tune offerings, and students can check in with those groups, too, if they’re not already members.
“If someone decides to start eating a vegetarian or vegan or other special diet while they’re at college, they’ll find dining team members are happy to meet with them to go over options on campus,” Sarah says.
Q: What if, despite good preparation and empowering my student, they have concerns about the food?
“If a student has concern while they are away at college, that likely means they are aware of their surroundings and the importance of allergen safety,” Sarah says. “We encourage students to share their concerns so we can help them feel more comfortable dining on campus.”
Like any part of life, there are ups and downs and inevitable changes. For example, that gluten free cookie your student enjoys could be discontinued by the manufacturer.
If an issue pops up, students should remember to reach out. Dining managers and dietitians want feedback, and students’ satisfaction and safety are their priority.
Sarah says students shouldn’t feel shy about asking questions, especially if they’re not sure about ingredients. Stress to your student that they should feel comfortable, not embarrassed, to ask. Their question is likely one someone else has asked, or will ask in the future, and getting an answer could help them and other students as well.
Sarah Fine, MS, RDN, LDN, CSG is a Registered Dietitian and part of Aramark’s network of Collegiate Hospitality nutrition leaders. Every day, Sarah and Aramark dietitians across the country utilize their knowledge and experience to help create an environment supportive of health and wellbeing on campus–leading health and wellness programs and engaging with students to help fuel their success and feed their potential.
Note: Since everyone’s health history and nutritional needs are so different, please make sure that you talk with your doctor and a registered dietitian to get advice about the diet and exercise plan that‘s right for you.