Ball State University
Not VerifiedBall State’s chefs are the heart of our student-focused menus. From colorful fresh fruit and veggie bars to house-smoked meats to sustainable seafood, you’re never more than a few steps away from incredible variety at Ball State. Our Top-9 Allergen Free concepts are perfect locations for students with restrictions!
Many menus rotate daily, showcasing adventurous culinary trends alongside tried-and-true favorites. All menu items can be found on out nutrition database, NetNutrition, where top-9 allergens, in addition to other foods, are identified along with vegetarian and vegan preferences. NetNutrition also allows you to eliminate any of the top-9 allergens from the list to help narrow down your options and make finding safe foods easier.
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 ingredient and allergen information is available on NetNutrition and in each of our concepts. NetNutrition is easily accessed on your phone so you can take our menus with you anywhere you go!
Menu items in each Dining location are marked with the following symbols:
G = contains gluten
V = Vegetarian
V+ = Vegan
! = Cross contact may occur due to manufacturing or frying
Menu items are marked as prepared at that location. Look for a special notation on Grill menus to help you identify which options actually contain gluten or if it’s just in the bun. For example, a cheeseburger at the Grill will say it contains gluten. This is because the nutrition info is including the bun. You may ask a Dining employee for a gluten-free bun at Grill concepts and the burger patty will come directly from the warmer to avoid any cross contact.
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.
Training is completed with all of our staff regarding food allergen safety and how to assist guests. Our service staff works closely with managers and chefs at each location to know and be able to identify ingredients should a guest inquire.
- All Dining employees have completed the Food Allergens Awareness training and the management team perform individual concept training in every unit
- BSU Dining has a Food Allergy Action Plan outlining best practices for assisting guests in each of its Dining locations
-Every concept (e.g. Deli, Grill, etc) either has their own designated allergen-free zone or procedures in place when an allergen-free order is requested. Employees are trained to take off their gloves, wash their hands, sanitize the prep area, and apply new gloves before handling anything when these foods are being prepared.
3. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in made-to-order areas.
Training is completed with all of our staff regarding food allergen safety and how to assist guests. Our service staff works closely with managers and chefs at each location to know and be able to identify ingredients should a guest inquire.
- All Dining employees have completed the Food Allergens Awareness training and the management team perform individual concept training in every unit
- BSU Dining has a Food Allergy Action Plan outlining best practices for assisting guests in each of its Dining locations
-Every concept (e.g. Deli, Grill, etc) either has their own designated allergen-free zone or procedures in place when an allergen-free order is requested. Employees are trained to take off their gloves, wash their hands, sanitize the prep area, and apply new gloves before handling anything when these foods are being prepared.
4. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in self-serve areas.
For our more severe students, we provide a more advanced meal ordering option through one of our Dining locations, Woodworth. Students with multiple food allergies or very severe allergies or restrictions can qualify to be a part of this ordering system. To be eligible, the student much meet with Dining's Wellness Nutritionist and provide medical documentation.
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.
We have two locations on campus that are Top-9 Allergen Free, nothing behind the counter will contain any of these allergens and separate equipment and utensils are used.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
14. Our campus emergency responders carry epinephrine.