Student reporters shine a light on how well their schools meet dietary needs
By Sheryl Harpel, Founder of Gluten-Free Friends

Student news coverage raises celiac and food allergy awareness and pushes campus dining to meet dietary needs. This post highlights examples from our curated College News and offers resources for student journalists to pursue similar stories.
Inaccurate ingredient lists or improper food handling can be enough to send a student with food allergies to the emergency room. Approximately 7-11% of students have food restrictions, some of which are life-threatening [1]. Although medically required food restrictions are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, many colleges fall short. Research shows raising food allergy awareness on campus can save lives [2].
Mandatory meal plans with insufficient safe options can lead to food insecurity, but shining a light on the issue can make a significant difference for current and future students. Thoughtful reporting on unmet dietary needs can lead to improvements while sharing stories about successful programs can inspire other schools and attract prospective students.
Personal stories increase understanding of the challenges of managing food restrictions in college and build support for inclusive, safe campus dining.
OPINION PIECES

Quinnipiac University
by Olivia Campbell, September 17, 2024
The Quinnipiac Chronicle
Olivia writes of her sudden health decline after freshman year, which led to months of tests and hospital visits. Doctors concluded that the cause was consuming a dangerous amount of gluten through cross-contamination in the dining halls. Her personal celiac story became a call to action. She states, “Quinnipiac needs to provide more allergen-friendly food for the students and better educate its dining staff on how to properly handle dietary restrictions in a college setting.”

Hofstra University
by Ethan Poole, December 5, 2023
The Hofstra Chronicle
In this heart-wrenching piece, Ethan describes the trauma of suffering an allergic reaction early in his freshman year, which resulted in an overnight hospital stay, missed classes, and increased anxiety around food. This experience made him acutely aware of the poor handling of food allergens. "Hofstra quite simply needs to do better when preparing food for people with allergies. My hospital visit could have gone in a far worse direction if it was not for my quick action as well as the fantastic care I received."
By including robust student feedback and circling back to dining and accessibility services for a response, investigations hold schools accountable.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS

Colorado College
Marynn Krull, March 2, 2023
The Catalyst
Marynn interviews Colorado College students with celiac disease or food allergies, emphasizing how the lack of safe dining options affected their college experience. Two months later, her follow-up piece, Bon Appetit Attempts to Address Allergen Concerns, Students Hopeful for Changes, demonstrates the story's impact on campus!

Northeastern University
Students concerned about Northeastern’s lack of assurance about allergy-free options in dining halls
Antaine Anhalt, November 14, 2024
The Huntington News
Multiple interviews, including one with the founder of the Northeastern University Food Allergy Awareness Club, describe a cumbersome accommodations process, unreliable ingredient lists, and other challenges. “Many of Northeastern’s documents outlining allergen information in dining halls have disclaimers that the school cannot guarantee safety for those with dietary restrictions.” Antaine effectively highlights the resulting mental, physical, and economic stress that students experience.
How well does YOUR college meet dietary needs? Begin researching your story today!
RESOURCES FOR STUDENT JOURNALISTS
Get up to speed on the issues with our Helpful Links and use our GFF College Dining Survey / Survey Responses platform to help gather robust student feedback. Share your published article with us to include in our curated College News. If your newspaper won't publish your story, submit it to us for guest blog post consideration. Follow @gfreefriends and reach out if we can help!
Guide for Investigative Reporting
Do background research (Helpful Links)
What challenges do college students with food restrictions face?
What are the qualities of good food allergy dining programs?
What are the legal risks for schools not meeting this need?
Review your college website
Are meal plans mandatory? What do they cost?
How easy is it for students with dietary restrictions to register for accommodations?
What would new students expect from dining after viewing this website?
Investigate who manages dining contracts at your school.
Get Student Feedback
Interview students with differing food restrictions. Our GFF College Dining Survey can help inform your interview questions.
Spread our GFF College Dining Survey and GFF Campus Flyer, and we will post the Survey Responses. The more input from impacted students, the stronger the story!
Interview Dining Manager, Accessibility Services and Dietician
Questions
- How well do you think you meet the needs of students with celiac, food allergies, or food sensitivities?
- Is there anything you are particularly proud of?
- What would you like to improve?
- Do you actively solicit feedback from these students?
- Let me share what students have told us. Would you like to respond?
Write your story with a call to action
Read other student reports in our curated College News for ideas.
What actions do you want the school to take? How can students help?
Promote your story
Post your story on social media and encourage others to share.
Send the article to whoever manages your school's dining contracts.
Email the published story to info@gfreefriends.com or message it to @gfreefriends so we can add it to our College News.
Schedule follow-up reports
What progress has been made and what’s been left undone?
What are the roadblocks and how can they be removed?
Shine the spotlight until needs are met!
Helpful Links
Challenges of managing food allergies in college and how top dining programs address them:
Counseling Students with Food Allergies or Celiac During their College Search
Join our Grassroots Effort to Improve Dining Safety for College Students with Food Allergies
Cornell #1 at Meeting Gluten-Free and Food Allergy Challenge
Source: Counseling Students with Food Allergies or Celiac During their College Search
Legal Implications
Personal factors impacting food allergy dining satisfaction
Free resources for college students with food restrictions
1. Sicherer, Scott H, MD, FAAAAI. Food allergy in college and university students: Overview and management. UpToDate. Jan 10, 2022. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/food-allergy-in-college-and-university-students-overview-and-management. Accessed January 21, 2025.
2. Allison C. Wua and Alberta L. Wang, MD, MS, Preventing Anaphylaxis in College Students With Food Allergies. JACI In Practice. April 2023. https://www.jaci-inpractice.org/article/S2213-2198(23)00180-0/fulltext. Accessed January 28, 2025