Brandeis University
VerifiedStudents can indicate their food allergy while ordering at a made-to-order station and a clean pan/work surface will be used. Students have access to gluten-free bread & rolls for sandwiches or other made-to-order grill items. These can be prepared with ingredients from storage that have not come into contact with allergen-containing 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.
Nutrition and allergy information is available for all self-serve items. If a student would like separate ingredients from our back-up supply, they can request at a 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.
We conduct food allergy training for all employees annually and upon hire which emphasizes methods to reduce cross-contact. Our onsite dietitian conducts regular audits to ensure staff compliance with food allergy policy.
3. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in made-to-order areas.
4. We have procedures in place to lower the risk of cross-contact in self-serve areas.
Students can pre-order menu items from our retail locations using the BiteU by Sodexo app. Students can specify a food allergy or special dietary need when placing their order, which will alert our staff to follow proper procedure to prepare the meal.
If students are determined to have a medical dietary accommodation, pre-ordering of meals would be arranged between the student, chef & dietitian.
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 are pleased to offer Sodexo's award-winning Simple Servings station at both Lower Usdan Dining Hall and Sherman Dining Hall. The station prepares food that does not contain 7of the top 8 food allergens, as well as gluten. Foods for this station are prepared in a dedicated area of the kitchen using separate, color-coded equipment like cutting boards & knives. Simple Servings staff are required to take and pass the AllertrainU food allergy course offered by MenuTrinfo.
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 onsite Registered Dietitian provides our internal food allergy training to all staff. Topics for that training include anaphylaxis, avoiding cross contact, emergency procedures (general and college specific), college specific policies related to meal plan accommodations, Lesley & Rider Universities settlements, department specific protocols to minimize cross-contact.
All staff working at the Simple Servings training must take and pass the AllertrainU food allergy course offered by MenuTrinfo.
Our Registered Dietitian is part of a Sodexo Universities food allergy task force to develop guidance for the university market in our company.
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.
Brandeis' CAs (community advisors) are advised at the beginning of each semester to send surveys or emails out to their residents asking for any dietary needs in advance of their program planning. RAs will provide access to safe foods whenever possible, and are encouraged to speak with their colleagues for support.
RA training on food allergies being developed for the Fall 2021 Semester.
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.
SAS handles all accommodation requests (i.e. academic, parking, medical dietary, accessible transport van). Students should contact the Department of Community Living with any housing accommodations request (https://www.brandeis.edu/dcl/accommodations/index.html)
Students can go to the SAS webiste to submit an accommodations request at this link: https://www.brandeis.edu/academic-services/accessibility/accommodations…
Students should first review the Brandeis Dining Services website to see if their needs can already be met. If this is not the case, students can submit an accommodations request form, as well as supporting medical documentation through the SAS website. Once submitted, the information is reviewed and the student will be contacted to determine if accommodations are needed. This process can take several weeks and students are encouraged to submit documentation as soon as they have committed as students.
There is a Student FAQ page (found here: https://www.brandeis.edu/academic-services/accessibility/information-st…) detailing commonly asked questions about academic accommodations and support provided by Student Accessibility Support. There is also a page for families (found here: https://www.brandeis.edu/academic-services/accessibility/families-faqs…).
12. Our disability office processes food allergy and celiac disease accommodation requests.
See what health services we offer >
The health center does have epinephrine for emergency use, treatment of anaphylaxis while awaiting EMS, however it is only available when the facility is open. Hours during the academic year are Monday-Friday: 9:00am - 6:00pm.
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.
See what our emergency response policy allows for >