Reactions, rashes and epi-pen sagas: surviving college with food allergies
Keely Lyons, News and Features Editor
Sometimes life is a gamble. Sometimes life means challenging your limits, but this shouldn’t be the case with the food you eat.
Students with food allergies face challenges as they fight for their quality of life. Thankfully, the Todd Dining Hall team said they are equipped to help people navigate their food limitations.
In order for students to receive accommodations for their allergies, there are certain steps they need to take. Helen Cox, food service director at the Tigerville Aramark, said, “We would need to set up an appointment with them to go over what they [their allergies] are.”
Some students let the kitchen know when they are coming ahead of time, but the challenge is that she is not always around to oversee that process, said Cox.
When Cox is not present, there is a way to be sure the student gets the care they need. Cox said, “When they come in, they will just touch base with the supervisor and they will let the kitchen know what the allergy is.” If the student sets up an appointment to prepare the kitchen, they will add their name to a sheet, listing all their allergies, said Cox.
When asked what the most common allergen was, Cox said, “The number one allergy the dining hall has seen is peanut butter and peanuts,” said Cox. Many times, the staff has to keep peanut butter in a separate place for people to request.
Harrison Kunselmen, sophomore strategic communication major, said, “I am allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, basically any kind of nut, cherries, peaches, all seafood [basically anything that comes from the ocean], and coconut.”
At times, catering to students’ various allergies becomes complicated. Some years the school may have a handful of people with allergies, and sometimes they may have a lot more the next year, said Cox. Because everyone’s allergies are different and they can never be sure of the number, the dining hall cannot have a separate allergy-friendly line.
Many times, allergies are various and someone could be gluten-free with an allergy to something else. Cox said, “If there is nothing on the line that will accommodate them, they will make a special dish behind the scenes.”
To set up an appointment upon request, Cox can be contacted by email at Cox-helen1@aramark.com.
