The University at Albany
VerifiedAll made-to-order stations have ingredient information available upon request.
We always welcome a conversation with our Chef and cooks about how we are doing and how we can improve our service.
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.
All our self serve stations post the Top 8 allergens on their point of sale materials. We post item descriptors at our condiment stations.
We always welcome a conversation with our Chef and cooks about how we are doing and how we can improve our service.
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.
We have trained staff on cleaning and replenishing to avoid cross-contact. We have sneeze guards in place at all food stations. We always encourage our students to speak with us if they have any questions or concerns regarding ingredient information and our processes for delivering safe food.
3. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in made-to-order areas.
All our self-serve areas have sneeze guards, separate tongs and serving utensils. We have dedicated servers manning the self-serve stations to continuously clean and replenish foods.
We also always welcome a conversation about what are doing well and how we can improve.
4. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in self-serve areas.
Students wishing to pre-order meals that are allergen-safe can call or stop by the dining room manager's office to set up an individual meal. Or students can set up an Individual Special Dietary Meal Plan with the dietitian for more than one meal.
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.
Our award winning Simple Servings station provides safe and appetizing food for students with food allergies and for those who prefer simple eating. We store, prep, cook and serve this food separately. It is currently open for lunch and dinner. Breakfast for those who have food allergies can be pre-arranged with the dietitian.
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.
Our food allergy trainings cover the Top 8 food allergens as defined by the FDA. We train on Celiac Disease and gluten regularly. We train on reducing cross-contact and contamination, how to recognize food allergic reactions, what to do in case of an emergency and how to administer an Epi Pen. We also train on Sodexo and University policies around food safety and food allergies and how to provide safe food to our guests.
We always welcome a conversation on how we are doing and what we can do to improve.
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.
The university does a food allergy awareness training with RAs.
9. We train our RA's.
It is preferred that students contact the dietitian for assistance providing food at residential life programs, events and functions. Students may also contact any manager in our dining operation for assistance for getting safe food for residential life programs, events and functions.
We always welcome a conversation on how we are doing providing safe meal options to students participating in residential life programs, events and functions, as well as how we can improve our support.
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.
We encourage students with food allergies to contact res life for accommodations as early as possilbe so they can get housing on the main campus for easier access to allergy-safe foods.
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 can contact our Department of Residential Life to make accommodation request for housing. http://www.albany.edu/housing/index.shtml
Students need to contact the Department of Residential Life to receive instructions on how to make a request for special accommodations in housing. http://www.albany.edu/housing/index.shtml
UAlbany has an exceptional disability resource center. The director and staff are wonderful to work with!
12. Our disability office processes food allergy and celiac disease accommodation requests.
See what health services we offer >
We will always work within the boundaries of our policies and do our best to accommodate the needs of our guests whenever possible. Students with an epinephrine auto-injector (EAI) prescription should carry their prescribed EAI with them at all times, and we strongly encourage them to do so.
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.
Direct line to Five Quad EMT Service: 518-442-3131.
14. Our campus emergency responders carry epinephrine.
We always welcome a conversation on how we are doing and how we can improve our processes and trainings.
See what our emergency response policy allows for >