University of Virginia
VerifiedAll stations have ingredients available upon request.
Some menu items have a full, transparent, ingredient list online while others can be obtained from the onsite manager upon request.
Providing safe dining experiences through student engagement is a point of pride for UVA Dine.
All ingredients are available upon request. Copper Hood (Allergen Friendly Station) has all ingredients posted at station and online.
At self-serve stations such as the salad bar, we keep extra pans of each ingredient behind the line for replenishing. Students can ask the employee to retrieve ingredients from these "backup" pans to further reduce the risk of cross-contact.
While all stations have procedures to reduce the risk of cross-contact, our allergen-dedicated station, Copper Hood, takes it a step further. Dedicated staff at this station must be AllerTrain(R) certified. This station also has dedicated dishes, service ware, and kitchen ware. This station is audited once every month by our own team in addition to audits by a third-party each semester.
Each item has its own dedicated utensil. We also place allergen items together. For example, the cheeses at a salad bar are placed together, away from non-allergy containing items.
We also have a procedure in place for when someone orders a gluten-free sandwich.
All residential locations throughout our dining program have the ability to provide allergen friendly meals through a mobile app. Please contact UVA Dine Registered Dietitian to coordinate. Please note that individually prepared meal requests are decided upon a case-by-case basis and in coordination with our dietitian and the Student Disability and Accessibility Center (SDAC).
The Copper Hood is one of the most popular stations in our dining rooms and is open and welcoming to all UVA students. Every meal will be a full balanced meal with all the necessary components for a balanced plate. Fresh fruit will be offered at this station every day. Some dining halls also offer a fresh salad and allergen-friendly dessert.
Residential dining halls also have a cooler that contains pre-packaged items such as pastries, and breads that contain no gluten, peanuts, and tree-nuts.
All managers must pass AllerTrain-U, which covers anaphylaxis, celiac, cross contact, university policies, emergency contact procedures, safe reporting procedures, Big 9 Allergens, and dining back of house/front of house allergen safety procedures. Employees dedicated to Copper Hood must pass AllerTrain- Lite, which covers anaphylaxis, celiac, cross contact, emergency contact procedures, safe reporting procedures, Big 9 Allergens, and dining back of house/front of house allergen safety procedures.
All other employees receive a basic allergy training by the dietitian at the welcome back meetings that happen twice per year.
Specific UVA Dine policies, how to assist students with food allergies, how to report a reaction, required Allergy Awareness signage, Copper Hood policies, and ingredient linking for accurate menu signage.
We showed the AllerTrain RA video to all members of the Resident Staff program during training and then discussed ways that they can be supportive within their communities.
They can disclose their needs to their RA (should the student feel comfortable doing so) and the RA will accommodate their needs in planning and executing their program.
SDAC will coordinate with other departments as needed.
Students can begin their accommodations process by starting with SDAC (https://www.studenthealth.virginia.edu/student-disability-access-center) who will coordinate with the appropriate campus departments including UVA Dine, resident life, Student Health, and others as needed.
The Charlottesville Fire Department and Charlottesville Albemarle Rescue Squad carry epinephrine on their fire engines and ambulances all the time (required medication by the state Office of Emergency Medical Services). UPD does not carry epinephrine, only AEDs and first aid supplies.