University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
VerifiedSee previous question. Both the EatSmart online website (allergens, full ingredients, nutrition), and the UIDining App (allergens, nutrition) are available for all short-order menu items.
We have two tools that provide important allergy and ingredient information to students. 1) UIDining App. This is a smart phone app available for android and iphone that lists all menu items available at each meal, nutrition information per serving, and shows if the specific menu item contains allergens including: gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, treenuts (our definition of tree nut includes coconut), corn, sesame, sulfites, gelatin, alcohol, pork, red dye, and MSG. You can use the UIDining App as a filter - to only display items that do not contain any or all of these allergens. Additionally, you can use the UIDining App to show items that fall under any of these requirements: Better Choice (these are our healthier items), halal, kosher, sustainable seafood, vegan, vegetarian. 2) EatSmart Website: This tool shows all of the above information as well as gives a complete list of all the ingredients of all of our items including salad bar, deli, desserts, beverages, waffle stations, cold cereal stations, etc. Anyone that needs help navigating can always ask a supervisor for help.
This is the disclaimer we have on our ingredient information: "Ingredients are available via EatSmart on the University Housing website. Ingredients and nutritional content may vary. Manufacturers may change their product formulation or consistency of ingredients without our knowledge, and product availability may fluctuate. While we make every effort to identify ingredients, we cannot assure against these contingencies. It is, therefore, ultimately the responsibility of the customer to judge whether or not to question ingredients or choose to eat selected foods."
However, we do have an employee who spends hours every week, cross-referencing our physical inventory (actual ingredient labels on a package) with the information that manufacturers provide us, and what is in our recipe/menu management database. This allows us to make sure that at least annually, we are verifying that manufacturers have not changed ingredients without our knowledge. We did have an instance in 2013 when a manufacturer changed an ingredient without our knowledge (added a dairy ingredient to a dinner roll), and one of our Dining Allergy Team cooks caught the change in the ingredient with the new shipment and notified both dietitians who addressed the situation immediately. This staff member caught the
There are multiple short-order stations in dining, including made to order eggs at breakfast and stir-fry daily at PAR, or Pennsylvania Avenue Residence Halls. Customers can inform the cook regarding a food allergy and the cook will either use a separate part of the grill/flattop for the omelet or will use a saute pan to keep the food completely separate, depending on the students’ need. Staff is more than happy to make a special meal in back of house if needed. For stir-fry stations, customers are able to see preparation as the cook is making the meal, and if someone has a food allergy the cook pulls all food stock from separate covered containers rather than the containers out at the stir-fry line. Each individual wok is hand-washed after every single use. Students can also request that their meals are made in our Inclusive Solutions stations, which are available in all dining halls. These stations are specifically for students with food allergies and staff in the Inclusive Solutions stations are specially trained in cross-contact prevention. More information on enrollment in Inclusive Solutions can be found at the link below.
http://www.housing.illinois.edu/Dining/Nutrition/Special-Dietary-Needs
We are currently working hard to ensure even our student workers are trained regarding food allergies specifically in our short-order stations. We have 1300 student employees at any one time, so it is difficult to make sure 100% of student staff are trained on allergies. We will ensure that student cooks specifically complete allergy training. Please always notify a non-student worker of food allergies/special dietary needs rather than a student employee.
Receiving/Storage: We have storekeepers in each dining hall that receive and store food keeping in mind food allergies and cross-contact. Back of House: Every kitchen staff member is trained in food allergies and prepares each recipe according to a standard written recipe, with no ingredient substitutions. Staff is trained regarding cross-contact when prepping ingredients. Equipment is cleaned between each recipe. Even the laborers who clean equipment are trained on food allergies and cross-contact. Cooks and chefs follow the standardized recipes which link directly to the Illinois App and EatSmart website showing allergens and allergens/ingredients (respectively). Front of House: Students in the front-of-house/servery are allowed to ask for servings of food from the back of house - that hasn't been exposed to customers (risk of cross-contact). However, we need more signage informing students that this is an option. All food items are labeled.
Because we make recipes that contain all top 8 allergens, gluten, and other ingredients, there is always a risk in the back-of-house of cross-contact. If students are concerned about cross-contact, each dining hall is more than happy to make meals from scratch for every student that needs it (Please see Inclusive Solutions program on dining services website). In terms of cross-contact in the back-of-house, staff are heavily trained, change gloves and wash hands between recipes, equipment is cleaned between recipes, clean utensils and cutting boards obtained, stations are cleaned between recipes, and each recipe preparation from the night before is stored on its own cart covered with plastic. More detailed explanation on food preparation: We have separate dairy, produce and other coolers and state food safety regulation is followed. When a recipe is being prepared, ingredients are gathered from each cooler, prepped, and then if the recipe is going to be finished the next day, all of the ingredients are placed on a tall rolling rack, covered in plastic, with the recipe secured to the rack identifying which recipe the ingredients are assembled for. These are stored in a specific cooler, so that the next shift of workers coming in know exactly which recipes have been prepped. We make
http://www.housing.illinois.edu/Dining/Nutrition/Special-Dietary-Needs If you are a meal plan holder, and your allergy or intolerance is severe in nature or you are concerned about cross-contact, you can enroll in the Inclusive Solutions program. This service provides an online menu allowing students to order customizable entrees, sides, breakfast items, and some desserts 60 minutes prior to arrival in the dining hall. This online system works for any dining hall during their normal operating hours. The meals are prepared in a separate allergy-friendly area that has special cleaning and preparation protocols and is staffed only be our Dining Allergy Team. All dining services staff receive allergy training; however, each member of our Dining Allergy Team has completed additional training through the MenuTrinfo AllerTrain program and has passed an examination. For more information, visit http://www.menutrinfo.com. To obtain the Inclusive Solutions service, you must apply for services at http://disability.illinois.edu/applying-services to register your allergy with DRES, Disability Resources and Educational Services. Examples of items include hamburgers, mac N cheese, chicken tenders, pizza, pancakes, pasta, stir-fry, and many other items, all customizable to any mix of allergies
The Illinois Street Residence Halls (ISR) has a station within the dining hall that is free of the top-8 allergens as well as gluten. Coconut is allowed in some ingredients in the station - these items are well labeled and signage is posted to notify customers of this exception.
AllerTrainU covers: Food Allergies, Celiac disease, Food Intolerances and Sensitivities, Policy for Colleges and Universities, Legislation, Preventative Measures, Front of House, Back of House, Emergency Procedures and an EXAM that students must pass with 80%. Dining Services' own training for new hires and refresher courses was developed by the Administrative Dietitian and includes all of the above sections as well as information about Dining Services policy regarding following recipes, EatSmart, UIDining App, cross-contact prevention, emergency response specific to University of Illinois. Training designed by dietitian to significantly increase employees' intellectual knowledge of allergies as well as foster deep empathy and understanding of the impact living with food allergies has on those afflicted. The dietitian trains with both work and personal experiences with food allergies and intolerances.
Dining Allergy Team: Who: Includes unit manager (1 at each unit), supervisors (between 1-4 at each unit), chefs (1 at each unit), head cooks (1-2 at each unit), some cooks and other classifications (multiple at each unit). Training: AllerTrain U by MenuTrinfo once every 3 years. In-depth training (both power point and hands on) regarding allergies 2-3 times annually, for a total of 3 training hours annually.
All new hires: Who: all full-time newly hired staff Training: In-depth training in small numbers (typical class of new hires around 5 staff) with administrative dietitian. 2 hour training.
All full-time staff: Who: All staff, including culinary staff, short-order staff, retail staff, and laborers (dish/equipment washers). Training: Annual refresher with dietitian each August.
Student staff: Who: All 1300 students Training: 8 minute online allergy training at hire. There is a significant turn-over with students. Recommend customer’s allergy questions be aimed at full-time rather than student staff.
RAs are informed that there is a dietitian on staff for food allergy questions/accommodations. Please email the dietitian at nutrition@housing.illinois.edu. The dietitian will work directly with the RA to ensure a safe option is available.
1. The overall RA training was significantly changed in the last year, meaning there wasn’t enough time to complete the allergy training this year. The goal is to have all RAs and MAs (multicultural advocates) trained in MenuTrinfo’s AllerTrain RA for Fall 2017-2018. This is being discussed with Assistant Director’s of Residential Life this semester but is not yet finalized.
Housing Information Office, Department of Housing, 217-333-7111.
1. Go to the disability website www.disability.illinois.edu 2. Click on "Applying for Services" tab 3. Fill out the one page application and submit 4. Submit medical documentation 5. Contact University Housing Information office for housing and dining accommodation.
We have not matched roommates previously with those that have food allergies. We get that request about once per year. We have been able to place students in single rooms or with bathtubs (for example, having IBD and needing a sitz bath). Requests can be made by submitting an application via DRES and then contacting the Associate Director of Housing, contact information above. We make every effort to accommodate students’ needs so they are physically safe and emotionally taken care of. Please contact us and just ask! We will try our best to help you.
Please note that no dining or residence hall has epinephrine. You must carry yours with you at all times on campus and off-campus to be as safe as possible.
University Legal Counsel has advised University Housing to NOT stock epinephrine.
The entities that carry epinephrine is being clarified at this time. University of Illinois campus fire department has epinephrine on the rig; however, there may be instances in which the fire department does not respond. Campus police officers do NOT carry epinephrine.
Our staff is advised by our University of Illinois legal counsel to NOT administer epinephrine. Our staff is taught by the dietitian how to recognize anaphylaxis and is taught to respond in this order: 1) get student's epinephrine ready and in the student's hand. 2) call 911 or designate someone to call 911 3) designate someone to find unit manager and inform of emergency 4) designate someone to wait outside for ambulance to direct stretcher and EMS team to proper location. Staff is informed that they are covered by the Illinois Good Samaritan Law but that the University advises that no staff should administer a students' epinephrine.