Food Allergies
Our Philosophy
Purdue Dining & Culinary is dedicated to our work with students, staff, and guests who have food allergies by providing options in all Residential dining locations. Purdue Dining & Culinary is not in a position to guarantee a completely allergen-free environment. Rather, we are dedicated to minimizing the risk of exposure and we encourage all students and guests to disclose their needs and plan for effective response to possible emergencies.
Labeling
Purdue Dining & Culinary Residential dining locations label all food products with the Top 9 allergens plus gluten and coconut to help individuals with food allergies make informed choices:
- Coconut, Eggs, Fish, Gluten, Milk, Peanuts, Shellfish, Sesame, Soy, Tree Nuts, Wheat
Allergens are coded with icons that can be seen on our mobile app, Menus Online and Net Nutrition . Food items are labeled based on the ingredient list provided by the manufacturer, meaning we tag items as containing an allergen versus being free-from an allergen.
Coconut
Egg
Fish
Gluten
Milk
Peanut
Sesame
Shellfish
Soy
Tree Nut
Wheat
A yellow caution icon signals that we are unable to provide nutrition information for that item. This is a “safety net”; it is our way of saying we would rather provide no information than provide wrong information. Any time an item being served does not match the recipe in our menu-management system, we use this caution icon to indicate no nutrition information is available. A dining court supervisor can provide allergen information for these items.
We occasionally serve items in the dining courts that are not published to the app. A dining court supervisor can provide allergen information for these items.
Online Resources
Purdue Mobile Menus
All students are highly encouraged to download the Purdue Mobile Menus app.
- View all locations' menus in advance
- Navigate and determine which dining court and location best fits your needs
- View allergen tags, nutrition facts label, and full ingredient list
- Allergen filter
- Favorites feature
Menus Online
Menus online utilizes the same database and information as the mobile app but allows user to view the menu in a web browser.
- Use the Ctrl+F function to search for items in the ingredient list that are not coded with an icon.
- Example: Non-top 9 allergens like celery or mustard
Our Staff
Purdue Dining & Culinary’s full-time employees are ServSafe and AllerTrain certified. Our staff are willing to answer questions you may have about food preparation, ingredients, cooking methods, or recipes. Students should ask to speak to the “supervisor on duty” if they have any specific questions or concerns when dining.
Specialty Stations
Several dining courts operate a specialty station dedicated to allergen-free food. Students with food allergies are not limited to only eating at these stations; they may find that the offerings at our other stations meet their needs.
- Earhart - Infinite Solutions
- Ford - Simple Servings
- Hillenbrand - Gluten & Dairy Friendly
- Wiley - Gluten Friendly
Infinite Solutions is a new station dedicated to allergen-free offerings. This station is free of the top 9 allergens and offers a menu of custom entrees like salads, rice bowls, baked potatoes, and more. Most food served in this station is prepped and cooked within the station to minimize the risk of allergen contact in our kitchen and serving spaces. The food is served by staff to reduce the chance of cross contact.
Simple Servings stations consist of a rotating plant-based protein, grain/starch, and hot vegetable. The offerings at this station are free of all animal products.
In addition to the allergen-friendly station, Hillenbrand Dining Court will not serve any items containing peanuts or tree nuts.
The dining courts also offer a variety of build-your-own stations, which are customizable to the needs and preferences of our students. Examples of custom entrees include pizza, pasta, stir-fry, burrito, salad, and deli sandwich. Be sure to ask a staff member if you require specialty ingredients like gluten-free pizza crust or pasta.
Dietary Accommodations
Some food-allergy students may require further assistance in our Residential dining operations. Take the following steps to request a dietary accommodation.
- Contact our Registered Dietitian at allergicboiler@purdue.edu to connect with Purdue Dining & Culinary. Our dietitian will need to know what food allergies you have and what your typical diet is like.
- Contact the Disability Resource Center and schedule an appointment to discuss your housing and dining needs.
- Submit documentation of your food allergy or medical condition from an MD, DO, or NP.
The Disability Resource Center determines if you are a qualified student with a disability. Qualified students with a disability are eligible for dietary accommodations. Dining & Culinary’s Registered Dietitian determines appropriate and reasonable accommodations for these students in conjunction with the Disability Resource Center. Students will receive communication from the dietitian about implementing their accommodation.
More Information
- What We Need From You
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Purdue University is dedicated to supporting the needs of our students, staff, and visitors. We understand some individuals have special dietary needs. In order to help us reach our goal, we advise all students with food allergies or intolerances to contact our Registered Dietitian before coming to live on campus. It is essential that our food service staff be informed in order to best serve our students with special dietary needs.
We understand the important role our dining facilities play in assisting students with dietary needs. We are dedicated to ensuring all our guests are equipped with the proper tools to manage their intake. We make every effort to train our staff on the importance of ingredients and cross contact. To better serve our patrons, we ask all guests with special dietary concerns to do the following:
- Read our Allergy Disclaimer .
- Email our Registered Dietitian at allergicboiler@purdue.edu.
- View signage and information available in the dining operations and online. Download the Purdue Mobile Menus app for apple and android devices to see daily menus. If you have any doubt or question about a particular food offered, please request to see an ingredient list, nutrition label, or recipe; the supervisor on duty will gladly provide you the information you need.
- Engage with dining staff in the locations you frequent on campus.
- Recognize signs and symptoms of your allergic reaction and know how to use proper medication if a reaction occurs. If you have been prescribed an epinephrine auto-injector device, carry it with you, and understand how and when to use it. Purdue Dining & Culinary operations are not stocked with epinephrine.
- Cross-Contact
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Tips to avoid cross-contact:
- Ask dining employees to use new utensils, cutting boards, and pans that have been thoroughly washed with hot, soapy water. Some locations have separate cooking utensils which are identified with purple handles and are only used to prepare foods for those with allergies.
- Ask the dining employee to change his or her gloves.
- Do not share food, drinks, or utensils with friends.
- Avoid eating deep-fried foods. Frying oil is reused before being changed; this can lead to cross contact. Purdue Dining & Culinary does not have any designated allergen-free fryers in the residential dining courts.
- Request items that have not been exposed to the serving line. We can open new containers and serve food from pans that have not been previously been set out in the service area.
- Disclaimer
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Food Allergy, Intolerance and Sensitivity Disclaimer:
Purdue Dining & Culinary makes every attempt to identify ingredients that may cause reactions in people with food allergies. The Residential dining facilities make every effort to safely prepare, label, and serve foods. Allergy awareness and training are regular topics at our staff meetings and our foodservice staff have been educated on the severity of food allergies. Due to the number of meals served and number of cooking utensils used each day, along with unanticipated changes in food product formulations and manufacturer substitutions, we cannot guarantee that every allergen in the food will be identified and labeled appropriately. While we make every effort to identify nutrition data and allergen information, we cannot assure against these contingencies. Students, staff, and guests with food allergies, sensitivities, or intolerances must also be aware of the risk of cross contact. It is the responsibility of the customer with food allergies, sensitivities, or intolerances to investigate food ingredients and make the final judgement on whether or not to consume a food item. Purdue Dining & Culinary does not assume any liability for adverse reactions to foods consumed, or items one may come into contact with while eating at any university establishment. Anyone who may need an epi-pen because of life threatening food allergies is highly encouraged to carry it with them at all times. Purdue Dining & Culinary locations do not stock epi-pens for public use.