Allergies & Special Diets

Navigating dining with food allergies or special dietary needs can feel overwhelming—we’re here to help. Our Registered Dietitian’s Office (RDO) offers resources and guidance to help you make safe, informed dining choices on campus.

Registered Dietitians in the RDO are Certified AllerTrainers with MenuTrinfo. As such, the dietitians train all Campus Dining staff and select students to become certified in AllerTrain and provide annual refresher trainings. 

Penn State uses the following practices to ensure allergens of food served are known and communicated to guests:

• Centralized ordering and warehousing
• Database cataloging food items ordered and associated allergens
• Refusal of substitutes from vendors unless explicitly approved by RDO
• Point of service labeling of top 9 allergens
• Online menus with allergen designations and ingredient information
• Management staff knowledgeable about and trained in food allergen management
• Strict recipe compliance

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, and/or sesame) 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.

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 [email protected] 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

We encourage students to contact the RDO to make a plan for navigating dining at Penn State; email [email protected] or call 814-863-3420.

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 Campus Dining manager, and guests can request information or a meeting with a registered dietitian: [email protected].