D22 is starting to look at colleges but her search is complicated by trying to find schools where her long list of food allergies can be accommodated. In addition to peanuts, she is severely allergic to all MILK products, shellfish, sesame, and some tree nuts (not coconut or cashew). Do you know of colleges in the PA/NJ/NY/VA/MA/CT area that have:
dedicated top 8 allergen free prep areas
on line access to ingredients of cafeteria food
flexibility of roommate assignments to accommodate allergies
She always carries an epipen and has occasionally had to go to the ER, but obviously, this is something we want to avoid. Any advice from those with food allergy experiences in college that we have not considered? She is probably looking at somewhat competitive small to medium size colleges (2-10K) and will major in chemistry. Again, we are looking for schools with extremely solid food allergy practices. If you know places to avoid, that would be helpful too! Thank you so much!
How about any college where she is not required to buy a meal plan? (This may mean living off-campus or commuting from home for many colleges that require purchasing a meal plan when living in campus housing.)
It may be a lot to ask of a freshman to cook her own meals, and the dining halls are a good place to meet and socialize. Most colleges that I know of require a meal contract for freshman. Definitely this will be something she entertains as an upperclassman. When older D (graduating from Northwestern this spring) did a summer program 6 years ago at U Michigan, the dining hall was totally allergy friendly - separate stations for allergy meals, ample selection, on line ingredients… Michigan is just too big and too far for this kiddo, though. That experience gives me hope that there are other places out there with the same kind of menus and preparation. Just though someone here might have direct experience!
A lot of schools are now posting all dining hall nutrition information online. I know that Bates labels food with top eight allergens in the dining hall. They also have a menu online that lists every single ingredient of every single food item; you can find it by googling “Bates Commons menu,” although it might not be current because of coronavirus. I imagine other schools have online menus similar to this.
I do think that it will be hard to find a small school with with dedicated allergen free prep areas. Small schools do not necessarily have the space or student demand for such areas.
I’d google phrases like ‘best colleges for food allergies’ and you will find a few rankings, I’d start with those. You are two years out, it is very possible that schools that don’t have an 8 free food line now, will by then. I don’t think I’d start my search this way. I’d look at schools that sound appealing to her, and just check out each individual dining web page and talk to housing.
I do think you are wise to want a place with completely dedicated 8-9 item allergy free lines. Cross contamination is way too easy and has been a problem for DS, he got to the point where he’d only eat at the cafeteria with the 8 free line, which a lot of times meant not eating because it was on the other side of campus. In addition to roommate selection, I’d ask about priority ability to pick housing near cafeteria, and consider if those dorms are desirable.
Access to a kitchen is also something to consider. DS sometimes used the dorm’s community one and was jealous of friends with their own kitchens as freshmen, which was more common in off campus private frosh housing, which also offered meal plans.
In general, I found MA to be the most allergy friendly state we’ve been to, and we’ve been to many.
I agree that most large schools are going to have allergen programs in place. My D goes to Purdue and that was discussed during campus tours of the dining halls.
From my recollection fordham rose hill has a top allergen free station, (but lousy food). William and mary had a top free station and good food. Clark had a top free station and mediocre food. Uconn and maryland have a lot of choices and labelling and very good food. Mount Holyoke has labelling and excellent food.
Thank you, @silverpurple. You’ve named three we were kicking around. We will definitely talk to dining services when we visit places, but this kind of info helps prioritize a long list.
I have a kid with anaphylactic reactions to some foods, another kid with celiac and type 1 diabetes.
Most colleges we have experience with are good with food allergies and celiac.
So I would suggest you reverse your priorities in your initial search. Pick schools based on size, location, academics, cost, and “vibe” and then look into how they handle food allergies. In other words, make a list based on the usual criteria and look at the allergy protocols afterward, rather than the other way around.
It is a clear legal right to attend with safety in this regard. The Disabilities Office and head of Dining Services will be helpful. We had meetings galore with folks who made us feel safe, but actually AFTER acceptance. We got more detail and attention then.
I understand the fears and worries but this can be worked out at most schools. The only exception we ran into was a small, elite music conservatory in NYC that suggested my kid just not get a meal plan.
Eating in dining halls has a huge social factor in freshman year. It isn’t just about food.
Schools now have ingredient lists online and often on site. You can access menus for certain days. They have dedicated areas. They can custom make meals if you call ahead and then pick up. Etc.
I agree with the advice to look for schools that fit her other criteria first, then narrow the list based on food safety. Many, if not most schools are quite good about labeling for allergens. One tool a lot of schools are using is NetNutrition, which allows students to check out ingredients and nutritional information on line before they get to the cafeteria. There’s an app so they can check on the fly.
When you’re making final selections it might be helpful to see how accessible help in research and planning for special dietary needs is at each college, and how knowledgeable staff is about the food prep. For instance at Bates the chefs are also the servers, so there’s no disconnect between the front and back of the house. IOW, the person serving you the spicy noodles can tell you if they’re prepared using the same equipment as the Pad Thai with sesame.
At most places there’s a point person for dietary concerns. Bates encourages students to make an appointment with the “Senior Administrative Coordinator for DCCE and Special Dietary Needs Liaison” and lists one of the responsibilities of campus dining as,
This is just an example of what one school does. I think if you do some research at her target schools you’ll find a lot of help. Colleges are very aware of dietary restrictions these days.
Lastly, you’ll want to look at the range and appeal of food offerings. If a school is great about food safety and labeling but only offers the same 3 or 4 allergen-free dishes on rotation your daughter won’t be eating well.
I really appreciate hearing from those who have made this journey. D is very nervous about trusting strangers with her food safety and hearing what others have experienced is extremely valuable. Many schools have on line statements regarding allergies but whether they follow through with stated policy can only be learned through direct experience. It is also good to know the range of possible approaches so we can ask specific questions. Thank you all!!
My daughter has a severe dairy allergy. When looking at colleges food allergy consideration in meal plans was a top priority for us. All her life I was the mom who brought her a separate meal for birthday parties, overnight camps etc… I have to say colleges in the NW,California, NY and DC she visited let her know how they would address her severe allergy. She will be attending American in the fall and she feels comfortable that she can eat without fearing cross contamination issues.
THere is huge liability for schools on this. However, there is also some responsibility on the student. For looking up menus, avoiding the known-cross contamination and never ever eating anything that is not certainly safe.
I can’t imagine the stress on staff if every person considering a school asked about this (in detail). But you have that right. Again, we waited for acceptance. At that point schools are actually vying for your kid to come (for yield stats) so they will pay a lot of attention to this issue.
I have a bit of a strong feeling about kids choosing schools based on disabilities. It is a civil right to choose a school based on the usual factors and then be accommodated
True, but the key phrase is reasonable accommodation. That means the school has to supply food the student can eat. It doesn’t mean the food has to be good.
I don’t think every school has to have a sushi bar and brick pizza oven, but good, healthy, abundant, and appealing food is a quality of life issue.
Yup. My kids went to a college with a sushi bar and brick pizza oven (literally), and vegan food so good they put out a cookbook when they got a ton of requests for some of the recipes after parent’s weekend. I attended the same college in the 80’s. The dining highlight was the chicken nuggets (limit of 5) they served every other week and the only vegetarian option was the rather sad salad bar. How times have changed! The phrase “college food” sure doesn’t mean what it used it. Happily, mystery meat seems to be a thing of the past.
@trippfolsom “All her life I was the mom who brought her a separate meal for birthday parties, overnight camps etc…” That’s me! So glad your D found a place she feels safe and included.
@Sue22 - What college? I may need another BA after I retire
LOL. Bates, but it’s by no means the only college with amazing food these days. However, there’s no Chick fil a within a 20 mile drive, which would apparently knock it off a lot of college kids’s lists. ?
These darned kids are spoiled, I tell you, spoiled! When I was in college we had to eat ground glass and like it. Now get off my lawn!
A number of schools we saw had a top 8 allergen (not including sesame) free food area or food options. Most schools seemed pretty good to great with food allergies. Trinity in CT had an area that was top 8 free and only people with allergies could go to that part of the caf. Bates was amazing. They had everything labeled and the people in our party who have various food restrictions were able to eat very well. UConn impressed us in that the food workers handled the food, not the students. You went around and got plates but the workers plated things. If they were asked about ingredients they could answer. They checked labels to be sure. Things were labeled for major allergens. Marist had a top 8 free food station. I think Conn College did, too. I am forgetting some, but I was surprised by what we saw and think you you do well in calling and talking to their dining service about things.
There are colleges that have kitchens available even to freshman with allergens or that have kitchens in dorms, at least, and others that do not.
I think most seemed like they were workable situations in that they were committed to making sure that students could eat safely, so if you find one great with top 8 but not sesame, could talk to them and I think most schools would work with you. I think you have a fair chance of finding a lot that already have plans in place sufficient for your child’s needs, too.
Also, Bates’ food was so good, I would love to live nearby and eat there all the time!
