In order to better serve members of the NC State community with food allergies, the university and the Safe Eats food allergy club have been implementing policies and programs to show students what exactly is in their food.
With 36,000 meals a day served to students, careful precautions must be taken so that those with allergies can stay safe, according to Lisa Eberhart, director of Nutrition and Wellness.
“We try to make sure everything is transparent because people with allergies really want to know everything that is in their food,” Eberhart said. “Sometimes there are some trust issues, like trusting us whether or not we’re actually telling them everything in their food, so that’s why it’s really important to have the mobile app or use the touchscreens in the dining halls. They can get the complete ingredients on our website too.”
Eberhart also talked about how Safe Eats can benefit students.
“Joining the Safe Eats group is really great for the people in the group, but it’s super great for dining because that’s the way we get our feedback because they can give suggestions for improvement,” Eberhart said. “We take those things really seriously and try to fix the problem.”
Olivia Chadwick, the president of the Safe Eats food allergy club, also sat alongside Eberhart to give more information about allergy safety and talk about the club.
“We have a food allergy club called the Safe Eats club on campus that basically promotes networking with students and giving students a chance to try a lot of allergen safe foods in an accommodating environment,” Chadwick said. “We have about 15-20 students who regularly like to meet and come up with different ways to make campus better and more accommodated for people with allergies”
Chadwick talked about the extensive training and dedication everyone has to keeping the campus safe for those whose food options are limited.
“All of our managers are allergy trained, all of our chefs, and all the way down to the dishwasher is safe for students with these allergiesm,” Chadwick said. “It is really hard to navigate a big, huge university like this with a food allergy without a lot of support so we want people to feel like they’re supported.”
Through the HealthyPack website, the university gives students the opportunity to schedule appointments and continue treatment plans while providing them the right prescriptions. The website helps students stay safe and aware about their allergies while making access to treatments easy. Eberhart said that this individualized approach is key.
“The students need to be their own best advocate, so if they see something they feel that wasn’t prepared safely for them, they need to say ‘I can’t eat that food’ or ask to get it from the back. It’s really hard unless the student advocates for themself.” said Eberhart. “If they don’t disclose their allergies, then how can the staff treat it safely?”
Eberhart said that at the end of the day, the goal is to have a comfortable college experience.
“Most people go to college assuming they’re going to be safe. We want students to be able to navigate all of campus and still stay safe and eat with their friends wherever they want to,” Eberhart said. “Nobody wants a strange college experience.”
