University of Southern California
VerifiedMain ingredients for each made-to-order station are displayed at each station in Residential Dining. Please contact the Registered Dietitian for full ingredients.
1. We provide access to ingredient information for made-to-order* items. *Made-to-order - Meals that are prepared on request and to your specification in the dining hall. Examples include a sandwich station, omelet station, burrito station, etc.
Food in the Residential Dining Halls is labeled for the Top 8 allergens, gluten and sesame.
All three Residential Dining Halls contain allergen information on the online menus as well as the menu boards at each food station.
2. We provide access to ingredient information for self-serve* items. *Self-serve - Meals that are served buffet-style in a dining hall. These are typically high risk for cross-contact and are best avoided by diners with food allergies.
If cross contact is an issue at the made-to-order stations, please let a staff member know. Depending on the featured theme of the day, a chef will be available to prepare food with separate allergen pans, utensils.
3. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in made-to-order areas.
Some food is cooked on shared surfaces. The Chefs in each venue can advise on which items each day were cooked on shared surfaces and assist with cooking of items in separate allergen pans, depending on the particular restaurant. The Allergen Awareness Zone at Parkside Dining Hall does not use shared surfaces for cooking of food for that particular station.
When inside of a dining venue, always ask to speak to the Chef in charge for any information regarding food preparation procedures.
4. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in self-serve areas.
Please contact the Registered Dietitian to find out more about special dietary needs accommodations.
5. We have pre-order meals* available. *Pre-order meals - Custom meals that can be ordered in advance by a diner so they are ready for pick up at a specific time. Typically these can be ordered online or by phone/text.
Please contact the Registered Dietitian for more information on how to register and submit medical documentation.
6. We have an allergy-friendly station*. *Allergy-friendly station - A food station where specific ingredients are banned, typically including many or all items in the Top 8 allergens and gluten.
Food allergy and celiac 101
Reading food labels
Avoiding cross contact
Emergency response
7. We train dining services staff members.
8. We have a registered dietitian* on staff. *Registered dietitian - Registered dietitians are food and nutrition experts who are often tasked with helping students with food allergies navigate the dining halls.
9. We train our RA's.
Students should speak with their Resident Advisors regarding resident life programs to discuss food options.
10. We have inclusive resident life programs* including food. *Inclusive resident life programs - Programs in the resident halls often include food. Inclusive resident life programs will offer students with food allergies the opportunity to request safe food alternatives for events they attend in the dorms.
While USC Housing can best assist you with Housing questions, please contact the USC Hospitality Registered Dietitian to get information regarding which dining halls can offer the safest accommodations for your needs. It is very helpful to know this information prior to registering for housing since menus vary at each facility.
11. We offer accommodations for roommate assignments. *Every accommodation request is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. A housing accommodation cannot be guaranteed prior to an individual evaluation.
Students should contact the USC Hospitality Registered Dietitian as the first step.
Students must then register with the DSP office and have their medical doctor fill out the Special Dietary Needs form.
To contact the Dietitian: http://hospitality.usc.edu/dietitian/
To register with DSP: https://dsp.usc.edu/register/
Special Dietary Needs Form: https://dsp.usc.edu/register/documentation/special-dietary-needs-form/
Please contact the USC Hospitality Dietitian as the first step in your special dietary needs accommodations process.
12. Our disability office processes food allergy and celiac disease accommodation requests.
See what health services we offer >
13. We have stock, undesignated epinephrine* available for emergency response. *Stock, undesignated epinephrine - Epinephrine that is prescribed to a college or university rather than to a particular student. This epinephrine is kept on hand to use for any student that experiences anaphylaxis.
Epinephrine would be brought by the ambulance.
14. Our campus emergency responders carry epinephrine.
While the USC Department of Public Safety does not carry epinephrine, information is relayed to the ambulance that medication is needed.
See what our emergency response policy allows for >