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By Olivia Wong Olivia and Chef Christopher Grant (Photo: Cheyne Steinman) Despite two ambulance trips early in my freshman year due to anaphylactic reactions in the dining hall, I never considered giving up or transferring. As I near graduation from Thomas Jefferson University, I look back and realize how much Chef Christopher Grant helped me turn things around and thrive. The reality of having to manage my anaphylactic allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and soy on my own in a new city only truly hit me after hugging my parents goodbye in the dorm parking lot. I had met with dining services several times before coming to Philly, on admitted students' day and the first day of orientation. However, the day-to-day grind of finding safe food in the dining halls for every meal was daunting. I had to check every ingredient and ask questions.  One missed label on a cauliflower crust sent me to the hospital in October. About a week later, one tablespoon of butter instead of oil in my mashed potatoes sent me for a second ambulance ride. Each reaction seemed to get worse as my body kept fighting itself. I experienced secondary reactions, including full-body hives and trouble breathing, and my freshman-year friends held my hand as I failed to hold back tears with each dose of medicine. The four-hour observation wait turned into overnight admissions, meaning I would wake up alone in the hospital on the day before my 18th birthday. I never expected to start my birthday with a walk to the pharmacy to replace both my epinephrine auto-injectors. Entering college, I didn’t realize that just one miscommunication, one sprinkle, or one second of a mistake could cost me my life. The day I returned from my second reaction, Sara, the general senior manager, Chef Chris, and I met in Common Thread, one of the three on-campus dining halls. Chef Chris and Sara expressed genuine concern for me and sincerely apologized. Since the second mistake was from a staff member’s error and not a missed label, the new protocol focused on preventing both. They shared a sheet of paper especially made for me, with sections describing my allergies and meals, including a sign-off by a chef to certify that my meal was safe. Sara had also sent me an email with comforting words: “ Everyone who touches your food is getting an allergen retraining in the next two days.” Form signed by preparing chef to certify that my meal was safe (Photo: O.Wong) The new process for me to eat three meals a day looked like this: Use my breakfast swipe to grab prepackaged cereals and fruit. Open a new weekly menu received from Sara on Mondays. Each morning, choose what I want for lunch and dinner from options that are easy to adjust for my allergens, such as pizza, sandwiches, salads, and pasta. By 10:30 a.m., send Chef Chris a detailed email with any customizations I would like and my estimated pick-up time.  Go to the dining hall between classes at the time I had provided. I skipped the line and found Chef Chris or another staff member who knew me.  They would grab my covered and labeled meal from the back warmer or refrigerator. The paper signed by the preparing chef would be attached to the front of the container. Since Chef Chris was not on campus on the weekends, I would also have to pick up food for Saturdays and Sundays with my Friday order. Due to my previous reactions, they decided to work out of an abundance of caution. I look back and realize how much Chef Christopher Grant helped me turn things around and thrive. Deciding what to eat based on the weekly menu, emailing by 10:30 a.m., finding time to pick up and drop off my meals at my dorm mini-fridge, and coordinating with friends’ plans took tremendous effort and patience. Overwhelming was an understatement, but I had to grapple with the fact that there was no other choice. Coordinating my schedule with dining was so difficult sometimes, and it did not always go smoothly, whether due to my late emails or the staff not having my meal ready when  I arrived.  This October 27, 2021, email to Chef Chris with my Friday and weekend meal requests was sent 2 days after my second anaphylactic reaction in the dining hall. (Photo: O. Wong) However, I knew that not all universities have the capacity or willingness to care for students as Chef Chris has always done for me. I knew everyone was trying their best to keep me safe and well-fed. Attending a university with only a few thousand students has been helpful because the staff knows me and gives my meals the extra attention needed to make them safe. Although it is a fact that there have been mistakes with serious repercussions, my loved ones have helped remind me of the blessings I have been given through people like Chef Chris. I knew I would not have finished freshman year in Philly without him. Shrimp rice bowl  (Photo: O. Wong) Entering college, I didn’t realize that just one miscommunication, one sprinkle, or one second of a mistake could cost me my life. Knowing this and witnessing Chef Chris’s confidence and kindness made the tedious process of requesting meals and pick-up times more tolerable. I have always been welcomed with the biggest smile from Chef Chris and greetings from other dining staff members. Even if Chef Chris was busy serving a huge line of students and faculty for Chicken Finger Thursdays or Ramen Bowl Day, he would always change his gloves and apron as soon as he spotted me. Every day, he was responsive and careful with my food, never complaining about the precautions he had to take or the extra time it added to his already busy job as head chef. I have also seen how he’s educated his entire dining staff on the significance of cross-contact, ensuring that students like me have safe dining options on campus. I was happy to see in 2022 that an Inspired Eats station, free of the top 9 allergens, opened on the freshman side of campus. I hope other college dining managers are inspired by how Chef Chris positively impacted my college experience. Dairy-free Philly Cheesesteak with caramelized onions! (Photo: O. Wong) I moved to my own apartment in my sophomore year, and 95% of the time, I meal prep for myself. Although I prefer cooking for myself now, I sometimes still crave a dairy-free Philly Cheesesteak with caramelized onions and fries! Every month or two, I send a quick message to Chef Chris in the morning, and I know I am set for a satisfying and nostalgic lunch.  I do not have enough words to thank Chef Chris for his four years of serving me and making me feel valued. I hope other college dining managers are inspired by how Chef Chris positively impacted my college experience—and the experiences of so many others—and will treat their students with food allergies with similar care and kindness. (Photo: Katherine Wong) Olivia Wong is a physician assistant student in her first year of graduate school at Thomas Jefferson University East Falls, finishing her undergraduate degree in three years. Her dream specialty is to work at an ENT and Allergy office after completing her master’s in the summer of 2026. Olivia also runs a food allergy Instagram called @liv.ingwithallergies , where she posts her favorite recipes, allergy-friendly finds, and restaurant recommendations around Philly. ----------------  How well does your college meet YOUR   dietary needs? Please share your advice and feedback in our GFF College Dining Survey   to help inform prospective students and push colleges to improve. Every survey received increases the impact of our advocacy platform!   GFree Friends raises awareness about the importance of safe, inclusive college dining, and we welcome student contributors to our blog.  Contact us   with your story ideas!  Follow us on Instagram   @gfreefriends

Guest post by Christina Mingle Keller, J.D., M.Ed., Founder & CEO of SafeTable Solutions Christina is the first external expert to contribute to our blog, and it’s been wonderful collaborating with her. We’re thrilled to share her valuable insights with you! “Mom, how will I ever be able to go to college if I can’t even eat safely in my school cafeteria?” This is what one of my two teenage sons with multiple severe food allergies asked me when he was in 4th grade. I promised him, and I promise you, that eating safely at college is possible with some research and preparation.  It's hard enough searching for the right college without the added complexity of food allergies. I am a college consultant focused on helping students with medically necessary diets with their college search. As a food allergy mom with a background in higher education, I understand what a huge step it is for students with food allergies to navigate college dining on their own.   When you start your first year of college, you will likely be an 18-year-old legal adult responsible for having conversations with dietitians, dining staff, disability or accessibility services staff, housing, and professors about accommodations. You will have to self-identify, self-advocate, and know your ADA rights .  College is not just about your food allergies. So many factors play into whether or not a college is a good “fit” for you – e.g., academic programs, cost, location, size, etc. Develop your college list first, then research how each accommodates your special dietary needs. The goal is for you to feel safe and included . Once you have a target list of schools, here is your six-step gameplan  to consider dietary needs during your search BEFORE committing to a college.  Step 1: Define Expectations Food allergies are not one-size-fits-all. Just like that “nut-free” table in the elementary school cafeteria doesn’t help students with dairy or wheat allergies, everyone with severe food allergies has different needs for accommodations in college. Similarly, schools have various approaches to accommodating special diets, which may or may not align with your expectations. First, consider your unique situation and what is critical to you for your college experience. Your goals for your first year may differ from your needs as a third or fourth-year student. For instance, when adjusting to college, think about how you might balance eating with new friends wherever they are heading versus the safety of eating separately in the most allergy-friendly dining hall or an apartment with a kitchen. Much depends on your allergies, comfort, and stress level (and planning abilities!). Some allergens are easier to avoid than others. Consider the severity of the allergies, whether it is an airborne or ingested food allergy, your risk tolerance in terms of cross-contact, and your anxiety level. Meal plans are expensive, and if you cannot sufficiently eat in the dining halls every day, consider how you would supplement those meals financially and logistically.  For example, one student may seek to handle their non-Top 9 allergens by being exempt from the meal plan and preparing meals in an apartment kitchen on campus. Another student would like to have a single room to avoid the anxiety that comes from not being able to control the allergens brought into the room by roommates and their guests. Yet another student with Top 9 allergies values flexibility to eat in any dining hall anytime with a roommate and new friends, socialize, grab “thirds,” and not have to cook nor plan where to eat their next meal.  What would make you  feel comfortable, safe, and healthy in your dorm and dining halls? What are non-negotiables, and what are you – not your parents – willing to compromise on? Defining what is important to you will help focus your research on food allergy accommodations at the colleges on your list. C olleges have different ways of accommodating food allergies. Since the stakes can be so high, I developed an “Access, Quality & Culture” (AQC) metric to help you evaluate and compare schools. For schools under serious consideration, you will likely go around this AQC wheel multiple times to inform your decision. The Access, Quality, & Culture (AQC) Wheel Food allergy considerations to circle through as you follow your gameplan ACCESS Can you eat safely, for 21 meals per week, in convenient locations across campus? QUALITY Is the “safe” food appealing to you, healthy and varied? CULTURE Do you feel included, safe, and supported in dining halls, in dorms, by disability support, through emergency response, and more? Step 2: Research Dining Access You may not want to waste time visiting or applying to a school without suitable dietary accommodations. If you choose to apply anyway, you should do so with an understanding of the situation. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's "Stress-less Corner" focuses on Gluten-Free and Nut-Free Items (Photo: CMKeller) To start researching “Access,” visit the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) College Search Tool   for an overview of accommodations and look on the school’s dining website. Check out menus, brochures, ingredient labels, allergen filters, availability of dining dietitians, and locations of accessible meals. Have phone, Zoom, or email conversations with dietitians or dining managers and assess their willingness to meet your needs. Dietitians are usually excited when you speak up so they can help you. Ask lots of questions and give scenarios. For example:  How do you recommend I eat safely here? Are all dining halls equally accommodating? Is there a Top 9 station (free of the nine most common allergens)? Where is it located and when is it open? Who can answer my food allergy questions during meal times? How are the dining staff trained regarding cross-contact and ingredient substitutions? Are there ingredient audits?  Are there “to-go” options? Can I order custom meals if existing stations don't meet my needs? How much planning is needed?  What do I do if my dorm room or classes are far from the dining hall with the safest options?  What happens if I start to have a reaction in the dining hall? Also, see what other students with food allergies are saying about your schools of interest in GFree Friends College Reviews , online student newspapers , Reddit threads, social media, or via your own network. When reading student feedback, remember that everyone’s situation is different. If your research indicates the school may be able to meet your needs, then plan a campus visit to see for yourself.  Step 3: Visit & See For Yourself Duke University Dining Hall (Photo: CMKeller) Campus visits may be expensive, and your initial research can be done remotely. However, I caution you that in all of my dining hall visits, not once has my experience of dining aligned with my expectations – sometimes for better and mostly for worse! I highly encourage you to try to eat on campus before you commit, especially if you have severe allergies, to ensure the college can deliver as promised. Remember, you may be eating there three times a day for four years, and you will be grateful for getting this right before you attend. An Aramark sign visible in many dining halls (Photo: CMKeller) Whether a college dining program provides the “Quality” you seek is personal. Even when there is a Top 9 allergy-free station, it may often only offer vegetarian options, which is appealing to some and not others. Or maybe you have only one allergen, and eliminating all Top 9 allergens feels too limiting, but it's your only option as nothing else is labeled with ingredients and/or allergens. On the other hand, the school may have a Top 9 station popular with food allergy and non-food allergy students alike, with tasty choices at each meal, or it may have a custom meal app to pre-order safe food made in a special kitchen just for you. My son and I toured a college with a wonderful overall reputation for handling food allergies - nuts and gluten in particular - but without a Top 9 station. We visited and met with a dietitian, but only realized when we toured the dining hall that one of my son’s Top 9 allergies (dairy) would require getting food specially prepared at each meal due to cross-contact risk at the stations. Based on that experience, my son moved the school farther down on his list since the “Access” and “Quality” did not align with his expectations for convenient, safe options.  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Top 9 Allergen-Free Station (Photo: CMKeller) Step 4: Assess Culture It’s a bonus if the college has community awareness of food allergies outside the dining halls and further fosters safety and inclusion through its “Culture”. Food exists outside the dining halls, so it’s important to t hink through housing, food in the classroom (i.e. if you have an airborne allergy), extracurricular activities, and whether you plan to be on campus before dining halls are open - e.g., during fraternity or sorority “rush,” for athletics, or leadership training, etc.   You can first get a sense of “Culture” from the housing website, and you may need to follow up with a phone call with Residence Life. On one such phone call, I spoke with a knowledgeable student. I was pleasantly surprised to learn the school offered “food allergy friendly" floors in a residence hall with Resident Advisors (RAs) who had additional training, and that is located above the best dining hall for students with special diets! It is worth reaching out and having these conversations. The housing inventory and policies vary dramatically from school to school. Here are some questions to weigh: Do they mention food allergy accommodations and clearly describe the process?  Is there a way to be matched with a roommate who also has food allergies?  How long are you required to live on campus? Which dorms are closer to safe dining options or provide a kitchen?  Is having a single room important to you, and if so, are many available?  Do you need extra food storage or cooking equipment in your room or access to a kitchen?  Do RAs receive first aid/emergency response training and consider special diets when organizing events with food in the dorm?  The dining, housing, and academic support offered by Disability or Accessibility Services is unique to each school. Sometimes, the Disability Services office handles all forms of accommodations, and sometimes it outsources some of those responsibilities to dining and/or housing. Before or after a campus visit (either in person or virtually), reach out directly to the director of Disability Services to set up a call to gauge the level of support offered and to understand how they are organized to manage accommodations. This may help you decide who else you should meet. While schools cannot guarantee specific accommodations until you are a committed student and submit your required paperwork for review, Disability Services should be able to share the accommodations they have offered other food allergy students or connect you to a current student with food allergies. If these departments are not helpful from the beginning, I would warn you that this may be a “red flag,” and I would not expect interactions to improve later. You are simply learning more about what to expect or whether to cross certain colleges off your list.  Step 5: Choose to Apply You now have a final list of schools to apply to where you believe you can thrive academically, socially, and physically. Along the way, you likely eliminated schools that weren’t a good fit, including those that do not provide the support you consider essential for a safe and inclusive dining and college experience. You also developed a clearer idea of what accommodations to request based on each school’s level of support and on what you are willing to compromise. Good luck!  Step 6: Confirm After Acceptance   The jitters associated with the stressful application process are now over, and you can now examine and critically compare schools that offered you a spot on campus. Don’t forget to revisit the “AQC” again after you are accepted and before committing to a college . Months likely passed since your visit and conversations, or you may not have visited before applying. Staff may have turned over, or policies may have changed.  Find out the timeline for the accommodations process, which usually involves your doctor completing some forms, since those housing accommodation deadlines can come quickly! Remember that every school differs in how they make accommodation decisions, and all accommodations are considered on a case-by-case basis.  After You Commit  The spring and summer months are times to prepare –  from submitting paperwork for housing, dining, and classroom accommodations on time to having conversations about “room rules” with your future roommate and beginning to build a supportive network on campus. It’s important to get comfortable with letting others know about your food allergies and practice self-advocating. And, most importantly, figure out an easy way to remember to carry your medications wherever you go (tip: some people put an AirTag with their medication to send them reminders if they leave it behind).  Summary I have toured and eaten in dozens of campus dining halls, spoken with many college dietitians, student affairs professionals, and disability services staff, and worked with clients with various serious food allergies. This has given me a nuanced understanding of how different programs compare. I feel comfortable saying that with the right preparation - which includes learning how to self-advocate, always carrying your medications, and understanding what you value in terms of support and accommodations - you can identify a college that meets your key needs and enjoy just being at college without the added anxiety of finding a safe meal every day. You’ve got this, and many people are there to help you along the way!  Christina Mingle Keller, J.D., M.Ed., in Counseling/Student Affairs in Higher Education Founder & CEO of SafeTable Solutions , Christina helps families navigate the college search process, assess the food allergy accommodations at the schools on their college list , and prepare for college. In addition to working with families, Christina consults for FARE  on their college resources, including updating its College Search Tool . She has practiced law and worked in various roles at colleges and universities of all sizes - including reading applications for the University of Virginia - for over two decades. safetablesolutions.com @safetable_solutions GFree Friends raises awareness about the importance of safe, inclusive college dining and welcomes guest contributors, especially college students, to our blog.  Contact us   with your story ideas!  Follow us on Instagram  @gfreefriends

By Sheryl Harpel, Founder of Gluten-Free Friends The happiness found in bringing a person with food restrictions into the fold, and having everyone eat mostly the same food, outweighs whatever is being given up. No one misses what isn’t being served. Practice food inclusion at holiday gatherings, classroom festivities, and dinner parties. Graciously and deliciously feeding those with difficult food restrictions can be a host’s greatest delight. THE HOLIDAYS: Make New Traditions CLASS PARTIES: Don’t Leave Kids Out DINNER PARTIES: Make the Effort THE HOLIDAYS: Make New Traditions When my side of the family gets together for the holidays, we have 5 celiacs at the table, including one with an anaphylactic peanut allergy. Shellfish allergies, lactose intolerance, evolving autoimmune elimination diets, and vegan experimentation add dizzying levels of complexity to the menu. There is even an allergy to white potatoes, and potato starch is in virtually all of our homemade gf baked goods. Can we share holiday meals in harmony, and can we do it without constantly talking about gluten? With some common ground rules, communication, and understanding, the answer is now yes--as long as we avoid politics! There was some tension along the way, but we got there eventually. My sister, mother, and I find genuine satisfaction in meeting the “allergy iron chef” challenge with meals just as fabulous as the ones served before all this madness started 10+ years ago. It is much harder when you don’t have any allergy allies in the family. If you can rope in at least one empathetic advocate, you can hopefully make it happen. 5 Tips for Holiday Dinners 1. Establish a game plan: Banning items vs some guests skipping dishes Based on the high-risk factor and the need to avoid cross-contamination, my side of the family never permits gluten or peanuts. We then have sufficient options for everyone else’s restrictions, even if they can’t eat everything. On my husband’s side of the family, where my kids’ celiac is the only food restriction, we used to place the gluten-free items on a separate table and serve my kids first as an added precaution. Over the years, as awareness grew, and a few more people realized they were gluten intolerant, this side eventually began to make most or all the meals gluten-free. They felt the joy of fully including my kids, even if it meant shaking up some traditions. Shout out to my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law for being so supportive! 2. Match food assignment with expertise People who care and take the time to understand can gradually be given more responsibility. Respect that there is a learning curve and that there will be bumps in the road. An enthusiastically prepared gluten-free cheese platter can quickly be ruined if glutenous crackers are there, too. Try to be gracious about it, so they don’t stop trying. Those who find it too overwhelming can only be assigned things they can’t mess up, e.g. fruit, seltzer, fresh veggies (without dip), wine, and packaged goods labeled nut and gluten-free. It is important to ask new guests about their food restrictions and explain not to bring anything without discussing it first. If people bring unsafe items, you could have a side table with someone watching to ensure no traces travel to the primary serving area. Guests with food on this "Side Table of Shame" won’t want to do that again. One aunt gets special kudos for just not serving any of the brought items that didn’t follow her established Thanksgiving game plan, although it did cause some residual tension. 3. Encourage over-communicating and labeling Everyone is allowed to ask questions without feeling bad about it. It is terrifying for symptomatic celiacs and those with anaphylactic allergies to trust food they haven’t seen prepared. Have lots of discussion when planning the menu to make sure everyone is comfortable. Everything on our table is gluten and peanut-free, but we also label everything else. Post-its work. If you use packaged goods, bring the labels. Bring the recipes. Make it easy to ask questions. Help them want to eat the food with the same enthusiasm as someone without restrictions. 4. Maintain holiday menus and recipes that work Holidays often involve repeating the same favorite things, so keep track of what worked and who made them. Create new traditions this way. 5. Pick your battles You celebrate the holidays with the family you have, and not everyone’s family is flexible. Try educating and cultivating understanding in between events when it’s not as stressful. If you just face resentment and lack of interest, bring the parts of the meal that are most important to you to share, and make sure those at risk from cross-contamination are served first. You can bring individual food to supplement. Practice food inclusiveness with your compassionate friends instead and move on. Thanksgiving Feast CLASS PARTIES: Don’t Leave Kids Out Sorry, but leaving kids out is just plain mean. Adults can set an example at class parties. My children were diagnosed with celiac at ages 7 and 9. I would often hustle to drop off a gluten-free cupcake after a last-minute heads up or stick a candy bar in their backpack, but usually, my kids did without. Resilience is a good thing, but it was a tough adjustment for them. There was a steady stream of holiday and birthday parties in the classroom. Therefore whenever I was a class parent, I actively tried to shift the culture towards inclusion. As a class parent, at the start of the year I met with the teacher and asked that in the spirit of building community, we restrict classroom food to snacks that the entire class could eat. Once I promised to find good alternatives, the teacher always agreed. The school nurse provided me with the names of students with allergies and I emailed the parents asking for allergens that should be avoided. I was energized by the appreciation of these parents who had never been asked this simple question. I then worked with the parents with the most food-restricted children, to create a list of potential snacks. I took pictures of the labels and shared them with the allergy parent group to get a consensus. We distributed a list of safe class snacks and established the policy that any other snacks would need to be pre-approved by me. The parents complained at first, but--surprise!-- the kids were totally fine with it! At the parties, the non-allergy kids didn’t care about the food and the kids who had never before eaten at a class party had huge goofy grins on their faces. We brought all the labels in for them to check. It was joyous. I searched my old emails and found our party food list from seven years ago from a particularly challenging class. One child’s allergens grew to include potatoes, so the potato chips were replaced with the items marked "New" and we made sure to date the revised list. These foods were then recirculated among allergen parents for agreement. If teachers are not supportive, I suggest going through this same process to provide common safe alternatives for those with allergies. If you aren’t a class parent, you can volunteer to assume this specific role. *Safe Party Foods for 5M EXAMPLE Allergies include: gluten--wheat, rye, barley, malt, oats soy (soy lecithin is OK), peanuts, tree nuts, corn (corn syrup is OK), shellfish, turkey, chicken, milk, sesame, coconut, chickpeas, mango, pomegranate, orange seeds, NEW: POTATOES Note: Please avoid baking or cooking due to the risk of cross-contamination Ideas Kraft marshmallows (Halloween-shaped ones are at Shop Rite) Starbursts Skittles Jolly Ranchers Dum dum pops Mike and Ikes War Heads Ice Pops Veggies and Fruit (no mango, pomegranate, or oranges). Grapes, Berries, etc. NEW: Beanitos Black Bean Chips (Corn, Gluten, and Soy free…at King's) NEW: Newman’s Mild Salsa (goes well with Beanitos chips) Snyders gluten-free pretzels Cotton Candy (as long as no milk) Trader Joe's Brown rice crispy treats Ice and fruit-based smoothies (No milk or soy can be added. Water and fruit only. Wash the blender well first, preferably in the dishwasher.) Slushies Italian ice (check ingredients carefully) Sharon’s sorbet (NOT Chocolate, Coconut ,or Mango) Haagen Daaz sorbet (must check each flavor) * Don't assume ingredients haven't changed since I did this! Recheck them! DINNER PARTIES: Make the Effort If you care enough to figure it out, you can always feed someone with food restrictions. When you decide to make the effort, it is a loving gift. Ask all guests in advance about their food restrictions and make sure that everyone invited understands not to bring surprise food. Gain your guest's confidence before arrival as unfortunately, they are probably not accustomed to people genuinely trying. You must demonstrate that you “get it” or they may only pretend to eat. My daughter often had people surprise her with a home-baked GF good made just for her. Instead of being delighted, she felt pressured to eat something she feared would make her sick or risk appearing rude. Over-communication during menu selection, cooking, and serving, makes everyone more comfortable. Text pictures of recipes and ingredients when planning the menu to confirm acceptability and also to increase the comfort level. Discuss the details of the food preparation beforehand in minute detail. State things that show you understand (e.g. I am using a foil cake pan and mixing the batter by hand to ensure no cross-contamination. I bought brand new dairy-free margarine and have only used it for this. I used Enjoy Life chocolate chips that are gluten, dairy, and soy free.) Keep recipes and labels on hand in case, and encourage guests to ask questions about the food preparation. If they still don’t feel safe and don’t eat what you baked, be gracious about it and imagine how scary it is to be in their shoes. I am more relaxed when I get all the work done beforehand and can just enjoy my company. Because of this, I love my zojurushi rice cooker as you can prepare rice ahead for any sized crowd, and have it waiting. Below is a simple but elegant menu from a recent dinner party which included a gluten-free guest, anaphylactic to milk and eggs. What a pleasure to see him enthusiastically enjoy his meal with everyone else! Prepare Ahead Menu: Gluten, Nut, Milk and Egg Free House salad with labeled bottled dressings Silver Palate’s Chicken Marbella Basmati white rice cooked in rice cooker Vegan chocolate cupcakes plated with raspberries and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar (makes one dozen cupcakes, baked at 350 for 12-14 mins) -------------------- Go forward and spark the joy of food inclusion! Sheryl

Search for colleges, thrive on campus, and advocate for improvements! By Jasmine Hou, GFF Student Advocate College students with food restrictions rely heavily on dining staff to keep them healthy. Although medically required food restrictions must be accommodated under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), capabilities vary greatly by school. It takes serious legwork to ensure you can eat safely in college dining halls. We spoke with  food allergy and celiac organizations to learn about free resources that can help. HIGHLIGHTS at the start of each section include: How-to Guides: Advice for searching for colleges and managing on-campus Don’t Miss: What we think stands out Get Involved: Student opportunities SCHOOL-SPECIFIC  searchable information: GFF College Reviews  from students on campus FARE Food Allergy College Search Tool   food allergy accommodations snapshot GFF Curated College Dining News  including campus newspapers MenuTrinfo AllerTrained Colleges and Universities Click to scroll directly to an organization's section: Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) GFreeFriends (GFF) Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) Beyond Celiac   National Celiac Association (NCA) MenuTrinfo Follow @foodallergy Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) offers extensive material for teens, college students, and dining professionals. They also have resources for resident advisors and non-dining college staff. Tiffany Leon, MS, RD, FARE’s Assistant Director of Training and Professional Programs, formerly worked as a campus dietitian and has hands-on experience managing student accommodations. We discussed FARE’s efforts to help colleges become food allergy champions. For prospective college students, Tiffany suggested using the FARE Food Allergy College Search Tool  alongside student feedback  from GFreeFriends to help research dining programs during the college search.  HIGHLIGHTS How-to Guide FARE Food Allergy College Program   Don’t Miss    FARE Food Allergy College Search Tool  for a snapshot of food allergy accommodations College Dining Manager Resources 2024 FARE Campus Award Winners: Top Campuses for Food Allergies Get Involved Join the TAG (Teen Advisory Group ) Share your experience in looking for a school: College Search + Lived Experience SEE RESOURCES FARE Food Allergy College Program  FARE’s comprehensive college program has been benefiting college students with food allergies since January 2014 and this page is a great entry point for navigating FARE’s vast college resources.  FARE Food Allergy College Search Tool This is the only tool in the country for searching colleges by various food allergy accommodations, such as dining options, housing accommodations, emergency services, and more. Launched in 2020, it now includes over 1200 schools. The data in this search tool is publicly available information. A purple check mark under a college’s name indicates that school staff verified the data. College Resources for Parents and Teens Scroll below the FARE Food Allergy College Search Tool  to find FARE’s advice for teens preparing for college  and navigating dining on campus . You can also connect with other students by joining FARE’s College Food Allergy Support Facebook group . Teens with Food Allergies   FARE helps teens with food allergies connect and learn from each other with moderated virtual talks and teen-contributed content. College Chats FARE holds college chat sessions, featuring special guests who discuss and answer questions regarding food allergies and college. These sessions will be posted on FARE’s webinars page .   GET INVOLVED TAG (Teen Advisory Group) TAG members work on projects, create content for FARE’s website, and take leadership roles in events. This group consists mostly of high school students and younger teens. Individuals who have “graduated” from the TAG program can join the Rising Leaders Committee to work on raising awareness and fundraising projects. INFORM COLLEGE DINING MANAGERS Dining Training FARE offers online FARECheck training programs for dining staff and a free downloadable self-audit to help assess current capabilities. Those who complete FARECheck Instructor Training (FIT) can deliver FARE-developed training to their food service staff. FARE also collaborates with MenuTrinfo  on an annual Food Allergy Safety Symposium (FASS)  which dining managers are encouraged to attend.  College Recognition and Awards    Colleges can be recognized for their dedication to safe food allergy dining with FARE’s certification and award programs. To achieve FARECheck Gold status, schools must meet MenuTrinfo’s  AllerCheck™   requirements, including an annual onsite audit of food safety practices. See 2024 FARE Campus Award Winners: Top Campuses for Food Allergies  to learn about recent winners. Follow @gfreefriends GFreeFriends is a leading advocacy group for college students with medically required food restrictions. "By increasing collaboration among food allergy and celiac groups and empowering students with information and advocacy tools,” Sheryl Harpel, Founder, believes all colleges can be persuaded to meet their ADA obligations to provide safe, inclusive dining. Gluten-Free Friends partners with celiac and food allergy groups to gather College Reviews  from students on how well their dietary needs are met in a searchable database.  Encourage college students with food restrictions to complete the GFF College Dining Survey to help build this community-driven platform! HIGHLIGHTS How-to Guides Counseling Students During their College Search   Meet the GF Challenge from College Search to Campus   Don’t Miss    GFF College Reviews  from students in a searchable database GFF Curated College Dining News  searchable by school, advice, trends, and research Student blog posts such as How I Lost Trust in Brandeis University’s Dining Hall Program Get Involved Spread the GFF College Dining Survey Apply for the  GFF Student Advocate Program Submit your blog post story ideas to sharpel@gfreefriends.com SEE RESOURCES Student College Reviews The GFF College Dining Survey   empowers students to share feedback on managing food restrictions at their specific colleges. Searchable by school name, reviews  provide candid on-campus feedback for prospective students. College students can also use this tool to organize feedback when advocating for dining improvements. Everyone can help by sharing the survey   on social media and spreading the GFF Campus Flyer  on college campuses.  Curated College Dining News Gluten-Free Friends curates news related to college and food restrictions, including articles from college newspapers. Articles  are searchable by college name, trends, advice, or research. They also actively encourage college papers to do investigative journalism pieces on what it’s like there for students with food restrictions. College newspapers can use the GFF College Dining Survey  to gather research for their stories. GFF Blog   Content includes guides for the search process, college transition, and guest posts from high school and college students about their experiences. Articles written by Sheryl for FARE's blog and the National Celiac Association (NCA) magazine are also repeated here. Students can submit their story ideas to sharpel@gfreefriends.com . GFF College Advocacy Partners   Links are provided to the college pages of FARE, Beyond Celiac, the National Celiac Association (NCA), and the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG). These partners all have the GFF College Dining Survey  on their websites. GET INVOLVED GFF Student Advocate Program Volunteer internships are available for high school and college students. These students bring gfreefriends.com  content to the Instagram page @gfreefriends , source college news, conduct community outreach, and work on individual projects. Mentorship is provided to ensure meaningful volunteer experiences. Follow @faactnews Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) i s dedicated to food allergy advocacy, education, and awareness. The FAACT   College Resource Center  helps students and families understand their legal rights and navigate college with food allergies. All legal accommodations shared on FAACT’s website are written and reviewed by legal experts and FAACT's website content is reviewed and approved by FAACT’s Medical Advisory Board. Caroline Moassessi, FAACT's Vice President of Community Relations, recommended starting with   FAACT's Top 7 "Must Do" Steps for College Students , which covers topics often not considered, such as remembering to ask colleges about medical resources and steps for handling emergencies.  HIGHLIGHTS How-to Guides Start with the Top 7 "Must Do" Steps for College Students FAACT's College Toolkit Parents/ Caregivers   Guides and Checklists  Don’t Miss    Access to Legal Resources   Private Facebook Group for Parents/ Caregivers Behavioral Health Resource Center   for self-care and mental health Get Involved Reach out to the FAACT team  to get involved SEE RESOURCES Guides and Checklists  for  Students  and  Parents/ Caregivers FAACT provides comprehensive information and checklists for college search, acceptance, and moving onto campus with different versions for students and parents. They also have information for commuting students.   One-pagers  share approaches to unfamiliar conversations with RAs, dining staff, professors, dates, etcetera. These guides are designed to help lessen the stress of communicating your food allergy needs. Legal Resources When trying to understand federal laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the legal resources provided by FAACT are noteworthy. Case studies about accommodations and other important legal considerations are included on their site. FAACT’s General Counsel and Vice President of Civil Rights Advocacy, Amelia Smith, works with families in the food allergy community to discuss and brainstorm situations. Reach her by email at amelia.smith@foodallergyawareness.org . Private Facebook Groups for Parents/ Caregivers  and College Students FAACT's Parents of High School & College Students with Food Allergies and FAACT’s College Students with Food Allergies provide supportive Facebook communities. FAACT's Roundtable Podcasts   Scan these podcasts for episodes featuring parents and college students, such as   Episode 177: College 'How To' Conversations, Part 1 - Campus Life .  Behavioral Health Resource Center Managing food allergies in a new environment can be challenging. These resources help parents and students take care of their mental health. GET INVOLVED Student Volunteer Opportunities Teens can volunteer at  Camp TAG  or other events, which are updated  here . Caroline also suggests posting about FAACT on social media to help guide others to medically vetted information. INFORM COLLEGE DINING MANAGERS Dining & Food Service FAACT partners with  MenuTrinfo   for food allergy certification and training. Follow @beyondceliac Since 2003,   Beyond Celiac   has been the leading patient advocacy and research-driven celiac disease organization working to drive diagnosis, advance research and accelerate the discovery of new treatments and a cure. By engaging with the top scientists in the field, awarding research grants, and supporting the community, Beyond Celiac envisions a world where people with celiac disease can live healthy lives and eat without fear – a world Beyond Celiac. They offer college search and advocacy resources and opportunities for students to get involved in the broader celiac community.  Valerie Kraft, the Director of Community Engagement at Beyond Celiac, explained that their college resources focus   less on specific schools and more on approaches for evaluating dining programs because a school's ability to accommodate students can change over time. See the Gluten-Free Friends interview with Valerie  to learn about her experience advocating for dining improvements as a Vanderbilt student.  HIGHLIGHTS How-to Guide Beyond Celiac’s College Toolkit  Don’t Miss    Episode 14: Celiac Disease in College   featuring Valerie’s own experience Get Involved Email vkraft@beyondceliac.org  about the College Age Ambassadors Program SEE RESOURCES College Toolkit  This guide includes advice from former college students and tips on communicating with dining staff, the accommodations process, eating out, and saving money. If you sign up to download the toolkit, you will receive a free additional PDF containing easy, gluten-free recipes. Podcasts Episode 14: Celiac Disease in College   of the Celiac Straight Talk   podcast series features Valerie’s  experience navigating the college process with celiac disease. GET INVOLVED College Ambassador Program In the Beyond Celiac Ambassador Program, students design projects related to celiac disease and work with Valerie to execute their ideas. Email vkraft@beyondceliac.org  to learn more. Step Beyond Celiac 5K Every year, Beyond Celiac holds its Step Beyond Celiac 5K fundraiser, which will take place in Philadelphia, Boston, and Dallas this year. There is also a virtual option every spring and fall. Follow @nationalceliac National Celiac Association (NCA) is an education and advocacy organization for individuals with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivities, their families, and communities. NCA provides crucial resources such as regular educational webinars, nationwide support networks, 1:1 phone and email support, a gluten-free food assistance program, top-notch publications such as Gluten-Free Nation and NCA News, and much more. Until there’s a cure…there’s NCA. Carla Carter, OTR/L, Director of Outreach and Programming, suggests c hecking out NCA's college resources page for a Gluten-Free College Survival Guide and additional advice for college students. HIGHLIGHTS How-to Guide Gluten-Free College Survival Guide SEE RESOURCES College Resources page  has a Gluten-Free College Survival Guide and additional advice for college students. Follow on Instagram: @menutrinfo MenuTrinfo is a commercial certification and training company focused on food  allergy safety and transparency. Erica Nehrling, MenuTrinfo’s Director of Client Relations, explained that students are eager for their colleges to offer allergen-free dining stations with AllerCheck™ or Certified Free From™ status, and notes that the “Certified Free From™ designation, in particular, ensures that the station is free from specific ingredients through a more comprehensive, nationally accredited audit covering 120-130 standards. This process also includes monthly allergen testing and quarterly reviews.” Educate college dining managers about this great resource! Don’t Miss    Search for AllerTrained Colleges and Universities MenuTrinfo award winners Jasmine Hou is a freshman at the University of California, Berkeley. She has been a GFF Student Advocate  since June 2023, acting as the @gfreefriends  Instagram Posting Manager and cartoonist. Other Helpful Resources: Allergic Living's U.S. Colleges Directory: Comparing Food Allergy & Gluten-Free Policies

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 Quinnipiac needs more gluten-free dining options 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 Hofstra food posed a serious threat to my health 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 “Poison in My System:” Students with Food Allergies Struggle to Find Full Meals on Campus 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 Colleges Urged to Assess Compliance by Food Allergy, Celiac, and Disability Groups After Rider Case FAACT's   Legal Resources   Personal factors impacting food allergy dining satisfaction A or F? For Students with Food Restrictions, Scoring College Dining is Personal Free resources for college students with food restrictions Our Guide to Free College Resources from Celiac and Food Allergy Groups 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/fulltex t . Accessed January 28, 2025

As a new National Celiac Association (NCA) Resource Person, I was delighted to contribute the below article to the NCA Winter 2020 magazine! See our presentation on how to evaluate GF dining programs and set yourself up for success on campus. COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH FOOD ALLERGIES OR CELIAC DISEASE-- YOUR FEEDBACK IS NEEDED! There is a desperate need for candid student feedback, especially for families evaluating colleges. Although required under the ADA, the ability to safely feed these students varies greatly and students don't always know the truth until they are there. By increasing awareness among college leadership and empowering students and prospective families, our hope is that more colleges will rise to the challenge. Buttons to take the survey or see anonymous responses are in the header. Thanks for making a difference! Sheryl

by Sheryl Harpel, Founder of Gluten Free Friends This post was featured in FARE's July 2023 Leadership Spotlight FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) is a GFF College Advocacy Partner -------------- Sheryl Harpel is an Allergy Ally and the founder of Gluten Free Friends , a New Jersey support group and online resource for people with celiac disease. In this guest blog post, Sheryl invites university and college students with food allergies, celiac disease, or gluten intolerance to share their college dining experiences through the GFF College Dining Survey . Feeding college students with medically required food restrictions is required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Unfortunately, dining capabilities still vary tremendously by school, even when using the same vendor. Sharing your college dining experiences helps to inform high school students during their college search and can pressure schools to improve their food allergen safety practices. We hope you’ll join our grassroots effort to improve dining safety for college students with food allergies. Colleges with the best dining services embrace their responsibility to provide safe, inclusive dining. They recognize that an estimated 7-11% of their students have food allergies, some potentially life-threatening, 1 and actively work to meet their needs. They eliminate top allergens and gluten from dining lines or entire dining halls, provide pre-packaged options from these safe zones to locations across campus, and get student feedback to continually improve. Their dining programs attract students with food allergies to consider their schools. The worst college programs have mandatory meal plans with no safe options. These colleges ignore ADA compliance requirements and risk lawsuits. Students successfully sued Rider University and Lesley University on this basis, forcing these schools to completely transform their dining programs. Most college dining services are somewhere in between. They provide safe options but students report that food choices are limited, repetitive, or nutritionally lacking. The safest dining hall may not be conveniently located near dorm rooms, classes, or where friends congregate. Students on tight budgets or in remote locations struggle to supplement their diets with non-campus food. Insufficient college dining services can lead to food insecurity. “The cost of a meal plan for an academic year usually ranges between $3,000 and $5,500, with the most expensive plans reaching upwards of $9,000” according to US News & World Report. 2 Students often don’t have money left to spend on groceries or restaurants after paying for unused mandatory meal plans. Our NJ celiac support group, Gluten Free Friends, decided to help high school students evaluating colleges get on-campus student feedback about dining programs. We survey college students with food allergies and/or celiac disease and post their candid responses on gfreefriends.com . We started with students in our own support group and the response was so positive that we reached out to the broader celiac and food allergy community and just kept going. In addition to helping high school students, we have found that our surveys can pressure schools to improve. For example, we highlighted a disappointing survey from a freshman with celiac at Western Carolina University (WCU) on our Instagram @gfreefriends and tagged their student newspaper. The newspaper followed up with an article. And now there’s a new WCU dietician working to improve their program. Every survey increases the impact of this resource. FARE , National Celiac Association, and Beyond Celiac now have links to our GFF College Dining Survey on their college-related website pages and encourage college students to participate. By working together, we can improve the college experience for so many students! Volunteer internship opportunities for high school and college students who want to help are posted on our website. Parents can also reach out to me to get involved. Please actively share our GFF College Dining Survey in your food allergy, celiac, and college groups and ask college students to add their voice! -------------- 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 May 13, 2023. 2. Wood, Sarah. Paying for Meals at College: What to Know About Costs. U.S. News and World Report . Feb. 9, 2022. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/paying-for-meals-at-college-what-to-know-about-costs. Accessed May 12, 2023.

By Sheryl Harpel, Founder of Gluten Free Friends Parents and counselors do their best to guide teens toward colleges where they will thrive and meet their goals. Balancing dreams, acceptance chances, and financial aid, high school seniors apply to their target list and roll the dice. Eventually, decisions are made and they joyfully wear college sweatshirts. Those with celiac or food allergies may have unknowingly entered into another game of chance that they hadn't even considered.  “After I realized I wouldn't be able to eat in the dining halls without getting sick, I was willing to give up on the dining halls and prepare my own food...I had to send over 100 emails, lead over 20 meetings...to get special permission to not be on the meal plan…I know several people who got tired of making constant requests and now are both paying for a meal plan AND buying all of their own food.”  A recent Yale University graduate, GFF College Dining Survey, January 2024     (2) An estimated 7-11% of students have food restrictions, some potentially life-threatening. (1) Although medically required food restrictions are considered disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), dining capabilities vary dramatically by school. An integral part of social life, campus meal plans are often mandatory and can cost as much as $9K/year. (3) Some students have few or no issues. Others are surprised to find themselves on a constant search for safe, nutritious food. A lack of allergy-friendly dining can become a tremendous burden and surveyed students report physical and mental health crises, medical leaves, and transferring schools. (2) How unjust and ridiculous that dining can turn a dream school into a nightmare! Discuss food restrictions early in the college search, and persuade students to “know before they go.” Understandably, students may downplay or resent having to add food concerns to an already stressful college search process. Gently explain that although they can decide how much to weigh safe dining into their final decision, being informed will empower them to succeed on campus. The more they understand dining programs and housing options, the more specific and helpful accommodation requests can be. At decision time, help them compare how dietary needs could be managed at their top choices so they can factor it in along with other considerations. Resist the urge to recommend going Early Decision or committing before thoroughly vetting dining programs.  Personal circumstances can cause students to report drastically different dining experiences at the same school. A school may support some food allergies better than others. Students without financial resources could face dire food insecurity when mandatory meal plans don’t feed them safely, while others have unlimited Amazon and UberEATS budgets. Students also have different allergen sensitivities, exposure consequences, comfort with self-advocacy, and service expectations. Take the time to understand students’ unique situations. (See: A or F? For Students with Food Restrictions, Scoring College Dining is Personal ) Trusting sources that state which food allergy dining programs are good or bad is risky. Service quality can change quickly, for better or worse, and every student is different. There aren't any shortcuts. Students must independently assess the current situation with their needs in mind, researching dining plans, housing options, and support systems at each school under serious consideration. Do not assume anything based on private versus public, big versus small, acceptance rates, or food service vendors. The main thing schools with good programs have in common is that they care and are committed to meeting the needs of their students with dietary restrictions. Although this commitment to excellence may not look the same at each school, clues should be apparent in every student interaction, from online menus to well-trained dining staff. See if schools are proactively asking students to register food restrictions. Is a dietician available to help? Try to assess the difficulty of finding safe, nutritious food anywhere on campus without thinking about it. What dining and housing are mandatory, and what escape hatches are there if it doesn’t work out? When can students have access to a kitchen and not rely on dining halls?   Parents and counselors should encourage students to learn enough to envision their daily food routines to see if they can cobble together a solution that works for them. Set up dining hall tours with dining managers, virtually if necessary. Ask to be connected with other students managing similar food restrictions or look for them in the dining halls by the allergy-friendly sections. Ideally, try eating there. Identify and visit the dorms with kitchens. What health services are available on campus or nearby? Go into town to check out the restaurants and supermarkets, and ask about delivery options. Spread our GFF College Dining Survey , and post our GFF Campus Flyer  on campus bulletin boards to help get student feedback. During this process, define accommodation requests that might help close any identified gaps and talk to the dietitian and Student Accessibility Services to see how willing they are to grant these requests. After committing, remind students to register medically required food restrictions just like they would register learning differences, and to pay particular attention to housing accommodation deadlines.  Considering the dietary needs of these students is the only responsible approach. Even if students decide to make do with poor dining programs, they will be armed with enough information to ask for dorms with a kitchen or near the allergy-friendly dining hall, reduced meal plans, permission to have a car freshman year, or increased meal plan bucks in campus grocery stores. Factor in dietary needs early and set your students up for success on campus! View the slides from our presentation to Education Consultants for more info: See student dining feedback  and college news . Related blog posts: A or F? For Students with Food Restrictions, Scoring College Dining is Personal Celiac Complicates Your College Search How Well Does Your College Meet the Gluten-Free and Food Allergy Challenge? Meet the Gluten-Free Challenge from College Search to Campus Gluten-Free at College? Yes, It's Possible! Vanderbilt Alum Starts Beyond Celiac College Program to Spread Food Allergy Advocacy Considering Gluten-Free Dining Needs During My College Search 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 April 6, 2024. 2. GFF College Dining Survey Responses . Gluten Free Friends https://www.gfreefriends.com/colleges  Accessed April 6, 2024 3. Wood, Sarah.   Paying for Meals at College: What to Know About Costs. U.S. News and World Report .  Feb. 9, 2022. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/paying-for-meals-at-college-what-to-know-about-costs . Accessed April 6, 2024.

By Kethan Bajaj   The transition from high school to college can be particularly challenging for students with food allergies. Over the past few years, we have researched these challenges at The Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research (CFAAR)  at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine.  Our research   confirmed that increased food allergy awareness training and education workshops can help improve life with food allergies on college campuses. (1)   With all of this in mind, we started College Advocates for Food Allergy Awareness and Education (CAFAE) at Northwestern University during the 2021-2022 school year. CAFAE’s overall mission is to  increase food condition awareness and education on campus to help improve the college experience for students with food conditions.  EPINEPHRINE AUTO - INJECTOR TRAINING TABLES One of the most effective educational events CAFAE organizes is food allergy education tables at the Northwestern Student Center. Here, students can learn about common symptoms of anaphylaxis so they can recognize if their friends are having an allergic reaction. Trainer epinephrine auto-injectors are available to help prepare them to intervene if someone on campus is experiencing anaphylaxis. Along with helpful food allergy education pamphlets, we also offer food allergy-friendly snacks for students to try. CAFAE’s education tables have proven a great way to interact with the Northwestern community and teach students how to potentially save a life.  MENTAL HEALTH DIALOGUES CAFAE also hosts mental health dialogues to create a social support system for students with food allergies and better prepare them for potential food allergy risk situations. Recently, we hosted a dialogue about navigating the college social scene coupled with a food allergy-friendly banquet. These dialogues all in all have helped create a strong food allergy community on campus, where students can comfortably share their food allergy difficulties and confide in one another for support.  RESOURCES FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS Our team has created food allergy educational videos where students share their stories of navigating food allergies in the college scene. A Northwestern-specific video contains interviews with Northwestern’s dining staff who explain the measures they take to increase food allergy safety in the dining halls. We have also created a generic video useful for colleges nationwide. Along with the videos, we have created toolkits that help students with food-related conditions navigate college life. The toolkit contains tips on talking to roommates, dining on campus, recognizing signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis, and more. See our resources here  or follow the specific links below! College Video (General) College Video (Northwestern specific) College Food Allergy Tool Kit CAFAE Club Flyer COLLEGE DINING ADVOCACY Northwestern has a top 9 allergen-free Pure Eats station in each of its dining halls and one full Pure Eats dining hall at Foster Walker Complex East. CAFAE students have expressed great appreciation for Pure Eats, as it provides allergen-friendly food while helping reduce cross-contamination risk and anxiety. Students have stated that the dining staff are very accommodating and receptive to those with allergies. One of CAFAE’s goals is to encourage more allergy-friendly dining stations in colleges across the nation. COMMUNITY OUTREACH CAFAE also promotes food allergy education and awareness in our local community. We recently attended the Evanston Township High School  “Kits, Cats, & Kids Block Party”, where we taught students and parents about food allergies.  It has been exciting to realize that many college students are also interested in raising awareness about food allergies in their communities. We would love to bring them together for a  food allergy education conference and build a network of food allergy advocates. We have already started working with students interested in starting chapters of CAFAE on their campuses. If you are interested in making your college more food allergy-friendly, email us at CAFAE@u.northwestern.edu !  1. Bajaj et al., Determining Avenues to Improve Safety for College Students with Food Allergy. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Feb 2023.  Related Articles: Determining Avenues to Improve Safety for College Students with Food Allergy Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Feb 2023 Students report lack of food allergy awareness on college campuses Healio, March 28, 2023 See our curated College News  for research studies, including the one referenced here. This   GFF Student Advocate  Guest Blog Post was written by Kethan Bajaj, a junior at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, studying Biological Sciences and Science in Human Culture. ----------------  How well does your college meet YOUR   dietary needs? Please share your advice and dining feedback in our GFF College Dining Survey  to help inform prospective students and push colleges to improve. Every survey received increases the impact of our advocacy platform!   Gluten Free Friends works to raise awareness about the importance of safe, inclusive college dining and we welcome student contributors to our blog.  Contact Us   with your story ideas!  Follow us on Instagram   @gfreefriends

By Tristan Tierce, Founder/CEO of Allergy Voyage I have had life-threatening food allergies for as long as I can remember. When I was ten months old, my mom had me try a sliver of cheese for the first time. I immediately started crying, prompting my parents to rush me to the hospital. I was soon discovered to have a vast amount of dietary restrictions, including dairy, gluten, soy, corn, egg, and many more allergies. It wasn’t until I was four years old that I was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis, a condition that made dining out even more difficult. Growing up, my parents never discouraged me from dining out, even if it meant bringing my lunchbox to most places we ate. I confidently advocated for myself, whether explaining my dietary restrictions to a waiter or showing a friend how to use my Epi-Pen. However, when moving into high school, I never wanted to be noticed by others. I stopped sharing my allergies with people, putting myself in dangerous environments around new friends who had no idea how to help me if I had a reaction. Looking back, it’s easy to see how many with dietary restrictions end up feeling isolated and unsupported  - I didn’t want to “burden” others with my experience. " Looking back, it’s easy to see how many with dietary restrictions end up feeling isolated and unsupported." I was forced to re-learn how to speak up for myself when I left Texas to attend Barrett the Honors College at Arizona State University. My advocacy had to start as soon as I met my three roommates who had no experience with severe dietary restrictions. Although the Barrett dorms provided me with my own room, we shared a bathroom, a tiny sink, and a microwave. I stressed that I understood it might be difficult for them to deal with, but my allergies were real, and I truly could not touch the food that they were eating or clean out our shared microwave without wearing rubber gloves. I did not have severe reactions during my first few years on campus and appreciated that my roommates were mostly willing to support me. Meal plans are required freshman year at ASU, and before enrolling I toured the campus, including the Barrett Dining Hall, and met the Campus Dining Dietitian. I was pleased to see the True Balance station and designated allergy captains. Although not always exactly what I needed, these services gave me peace of mind that the dining hall was at least aware of my allergy restrictions. The largest issue that I had while dining with a meal plan was time. Moving back and forth between classes could be challenging, as it wasn’t always feasible for me to flag down an allergy captain or go to the dining hall when the True Balance station happened to be open.  After freshman year, my friends wanted to travel together on an international summer trip - something I had never done before. I had absolutely no idea what resources were available to me. I researched dining options but kept running into walls that made me uncomfortable flying for 16 hours to a new country. Sadly, I decided to skip the trip. This struggle and my past experiences contributed to the idea of Allergy Voyage, a concierge service to help people with food allergies with their dining experiences. One of my majors at ASU was Business Entrepreneurship, which connected me with mentors and faculty members who encouraged me to develop the idea further. I started with the idea of an international concierge service but quickly realized that I needed to focus first on my surrounding area, beginning with Tempe Arizona, and ASU. "I competed in the ASU Venture Devils pitch competitions in front of judges, receiving funding and constantly growing community support to   develop the concept." Over the next three years, I competed in the ASU Venture Devils pitch competitions in front of judges, receiving funding and constantly growing community support to   develop the concept. This led to a partnership with Sun Devil Hospitality itself, meaning that restaurant menus across campus would be hosted on our platform, providing students with easier access to allergen information.  Allergy Voyage enables users to filter hosted menus by the top 9 food allergens. They can discover which allergens are present and potential issues with cross-contact, and   save menus and dishes to their accounts for future access. All of this helps our users feel safer and more confident while dining. Currently, we host menus for 30 local restaurants and plan to have all ASU dining halls and retail locations available by the end of the Spring semester in 2025.  Restaurants are excited about our service as it helps them reach an unusually loyal market. Participating in our onboarding program, they learn to use Allergy Voyage and update allergen and ingredient information as needed. We also share available allergen training programs and featured dining interviews to increase awareness. Each restaurant has a designated point of contact at each restaurant who is available to answer our allergen and ingredient questions when necessary. "Currently, we host menus for 30 local restaurants and plan to have all ASU dining halls and retail locations available by the end of the Spring semester in 2025." Our largest current client is Sun Devil Hospitality on the ASU campus. While I did not originally see Allergy Voyage starting in universities, the opportunity that Sun Devil Hospitality has provided us with is phenomenal, and we hope to leverage our position to assist students at universities across the country. As a recent ASU graduate, I am incredibly proud to help students with dietary restrictions eat more safely on and around campus. We hope to expand Allergy Voyage into a larger concierge service, eventually planning the dining portions of trips for users, enabling filtering menus based on any dietary restriction, and hosting menus across the United States and internationally. Food provides a human connection, allowing for communication across boundaries. People with food allergies should not  be excluded from this conversation. Tristan Tierce is the CEO and Founder of Allergy Voyage.  Tristan recently graduated from Barrett the Honors College at Arizona State University, majoring in Business Entrepreneurship and Art Studies. He is incredibly motivated to continue giving back to the allergic community. ----------------  How well does your college meet YOUR   dietary needs? Please share your advice and feedback in our GFF College Dining Survey  to help inform prospective students and push colleges to improve. Every survey received increases the impact of our advocacy platform!   Gluten Free Friends raises awareness about the importance of safe, inclusive college dining and we welcome student contributors to our blog.  Contact Us   with your story ideas!  Follow us on Instagram   @gfreefriends

by Sheryl Harpel and Hemali Gauri Hemali Gauri, Founder of K12Allergies, is a high school junior committed to food allergy education and awareness. Her organization, K12Allergies , provides an online community for food allergy parents to share their personal journeys and support each other. I talked with the Arkansas student, who is allergic to eggs and garlic, to learn more. What has your personal food allergy journey been like, Hemali? At seven, I started breaking out into eczema/hives all over my body. These flairs would increase on some days and decrease on others. With the help of our physician, my family figured out that these were allergies, but it was a mystery what the allergen could be. After inconclusive skin prick and blood tests, my parents set out on a lengthy elimination diet, removing specific allergens from my diet over weeks at a time and tracking my breakouts in a food journal. They discovered I was allergic to eggs quickly and after a few months, with numerous series of eliminations, came to the conclusion that I was also allergic to garlic. Tell us about your work for the food allergy community. I’ve created a comprehensive source for parents of children with food allergies at K12Allergies.com . We've collected advice and stories from food allergy parents through the diagnosis, living with, and potentially outgrowing, stages of their children’s food allergy journeys, which are all searchable by allergen, reaction, or treatment. There’s also a resources page with over twenty featured organizations, ranging from a device that tracks kids’ EpiPen location s to an “ allergy ID card ' ' translated into different languages to make traveling with food allergies easier. I’m also very engaged in promoting K12Allergies through social media, reaching over four thousand individuals on Instagram and attracting hundreds of site visitors. My passion for raising food allergy education and awareness doesn’t stop online. I’ve partnered with the Hedberg Clinic in Northwest Arkansas to decrease misinformation about food allergies by posting interviews with local professionals. I help coordinate a food allergy-friendly Halloween event at the Fayetteville Public Library. Currently, I’m hosting an allergy-friendly drive for our local food bank. I’m also planning Epinephrine Training and Food Allergy Awareness talks in local public elementary schools. What motivates you? I was inspired by my family’s experiences with food allergies in a small town. My parents didn’t know anyone with food allergies or about available online resources. There was no one to support them, no one I could relate to. A Google search on children’s food allergies just showed generic information. During the initial months of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020, when I was isolated at home, the thought of having a resource for parents with kids suffering from various food allergies came to my mind. I decided to reach out to food allergy families asking them to share their experiences of diagnosing their own children's allergies and share suggestions for other parents. I received so much positive feedback about my idea of creating an online community for food allergy parents that I created the website K12Allergies.com. Since then, I’ve been motivated by the amount of good I can do in my local community of Northwest Arkansas and online. Was it hard to create a food allergy organization as a high school student? I definitely faced many challenges, from continuous website breaks to a lack of knowledge about how to incorporate a nonprofit and write bylaws. Sometimes people look at age as an indicator of how much you’ll be able to accomplish, which is wrong. Just because I’m a young person, doesn’t mean I can’t make a positive impact in my community. Usually, people are willing to help me because they see my drive at such a young age. Advice for those who also want to make a difference? Just start. However you can get involved - just start there. It doesn’t have to be creating your own organization as the first step. Progress happens over time, the weeks, months, and years you put in. And after beginning, your motivation becomes sparked by how much good you can do. Also, reach out to people over email, usually they want to help you. Don’t be discouraged by a lack of progress. Work to make the world a better place and fulfill your mission. There have been so many times I’ve been frustrated about one-sided communications and lost opportunities, but then I remind myself about the opportunities I’ve gotten, about all the things K12Allergies has been able to do and that has motivated me to continue. How can people connect with you? I would encourage everyone to check out my website K12Allergies.com , and share your food allergy/celiac story to help future food allergy parents on their journey! You can also follow me @K12Allergies on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with my advocacy work. Thank you, Hemali, for all of your efforts for the food allergy community! We also believe in the power of sharing personal journeys. College students with food allergies or celiac disease, share YOUR story -- complete our GFF College Dining Survey ! Sheryl Harpel Founder, Gluten Free Friends Hemali has been featured on: National Public Radio station's KUAF Community spotlight January 27, 2023 5 News KFSM Educate Arkansas September 15, 2022 Northwest Arkansas NWA Girl Gang Instagram December 6, 2022 Be(A)ware Allergy Friendly Halloween Facebook November 1, 2022

Considering how well a college handles dietary restrictions before making a decision, can help ensure your success on campus! This interview with our founder, Sheryl Harpel, appears in the Summer 2023 Generation GF Magazine. While written for a gluten-free audience, it is helpful for students with any food allergies. Thank you, Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) , for showcasing our college advocacy efforts. Receive their free publication (3 issues/year) by subscribing here ! --------------