Allergies & Special Diets
Welcome to Penn State. Resources are available to assist those with food allergies or special dietary needs in making safe, informed dining choices on campus through the registered dietician's office.
What we're doing to help
Food Allergen Management at Penn State
The Registered Dietitians, of Culinary Support Services at Penn State, are Certified Master Trainers (CMT) in AllerTrain by MenuTrinfo. As such, the dietitians train all Campus Dining staff and select students to become certified in AllerTrain.
Additionally, food allergen management refresher trainings are given annually to all Campus Dining staff by the Certified Master Trainers.
To ensure allergens of food served are known and communicated to guests, Penn State uses the following practices:
- Centralized ordering and warehousing
- Database cataloging food items ordered and associated allergens
- Refusal of substitutes from vendors unless explicitly approved by the Registered Dietitian’s Office
To increase safety and transparency of food items, Penn State also employs point of service labeling, online menus with allergen designations, knowledgeable management staff, strict adherence to approved recipes, and accessible Registered Dietitians.
Menu Item Cards
All the dining commons display allergen information on Menu Item Cards (MICs) in front of each menu item for diners to review. Each MIC will identify any top 9 allergens (dairy, egg, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat/gluten, sesame and/or coconut) present in a dish. You will also see icons indicating if a menu item is vegan, meatless, contains pork or is gluten friendly and/or halal friendly.
If a recipe must be altered before service, a green card is displayed at the point of service to alert you that the nutrition and allergen information for that menu item has not been reviewed (example below). For these items, either ask a member of the dining staff to review the ingredients with you or avoid that item.
Avoiding Cross Contact
Campus Dining staff receives annual food allergy training and takes every precaution to prevent cross-contact during service, including using separate serving utensils for each food item and keeping service areas clean. However, cross-contact is still a possibility in shared preparation spaces and self-service dining areas.
To minimize exposure to allergens, guests are encouraged to:
- Contact foodallergies@psu.edu to learn more about dining accommodations
- Notify a manager of allergies and intolerances
- Ask staff to change gloves and utensils before preparing their order
- Request a portion of food from a backup pan (including salad bar, deli station, ice cream, and cereal containers)
- Call ahead to have an order specially prepared with attention to specific food allergens.
- Carry a prescribed epinephrine auto-injector at all times
Get in Touch
We encourage students to contact our Registered Dietitian's Office to make a plan for navigating dining at Penn State at foodallergies@psu.edu or 814-863-3420.
Food Allergy Disclaimer
Penn State makes every effort to label food allergens in the residential dining commons and retail food venues. However, food items are prepared in a shared kitchen; there is a risk of cross-contact with major allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy, soy, wheat/gluten, fish, shellfish, and sesame.
Deep fryers are used to prepare foods that contain dairy, eggs, soy, wheat/gluten, fish and shellfish. Assume all fryers are shared fryers and cross contact cannot be avoided. If you have a food allergy or intolerance, please exercise caution when selecting deep-fried foods.
Guests with food allergies or special dietary restrictions are responsible for their food selections and should exercise caution while dining. Immediate questions can be directed to a dining services manager, and guests can request information or a meeting with a registered dietitian: foodallergies@psu.edu.