How Colleges Manage Food Allergies

I recently had the opportunity to eat in a college dining hall (it's been awhile!). While there, I talked to the food services staff about how they handle food allergies. Here's what I learned:

• Most U.S. colleges use one of two food services companies- Aramark and Sodexo. Both are accustomed to, and comfortable dealing with, special dietary needs of college students.
• Colleges have departments and staff to deal with special needs, including food allergy. You need to ask the college to direct you to the right area/person.
• As students turn 18, privacy laws change and colleges may not be allowed to release information to parents. This can be a huge stressor for parents so accustomed to being involved in Healthcare Plans, 504 Plans and meetings with the school nurse, teachers and school staff.

During my recent dining hall visit, I noticed a Silk soy milk dispenser near the dairy milk dispenser. I also saw allergen signs near foods containing common allergens such as nuts and peanuts. One employee told me they serve about 300 custom meals a day- and this was a small campus! He said that some of his students with food allergies go right into the kitchen and the cook will make them whatever they need/want.

During my visit, I felt that food allergies were taken very seriously and that the dining staff was very supportive of students with special dietary concerns. It is important that we empower our food allergic kids to speak up about what they need and make sure they know who they can go to on campus if they encounter any problems.

Take a look at one mom's essay, Food Allergies and College: Making it Work.

The reason for my recent college visit was a requirement in a certification program I'm completing to be an Independent Educational Consultant. I hope you'll visit my website, My College Helper, for information and services for those families with college on the horizon. I will keep my food allergy readers posted on what I find out about colleges and how they handle food allergies.

Silk Soy Milk: Monday Review

We first heard about Silk Soy Milk several years ago at the Cheesecake Factory...really. We brought little guy's food and explained to our server that he couldn't eat anything on the menu due to his food allergies. When she heard he had a milk allergy, she asked if we'd ever tried Silk's Very Vanilla Soy Milk. She said it tastes like a vanilla milkshake. You know what? She was right.

Since then, we've found Silk's regular vanilla flavor a great substitute for milk in the breakfast cereal. They now carry an organic brand too. I use Silk in any recipe that calls for milk. We love it in smoothies and it's great in my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Recently, representatives from Silk asked me if we would try their new Silk Heart Healthy. They sent me a coupon. Very tasty with the added benefit of phytosterols, a plant ingredient that helps the body reduce cholesterol. That's a great benefit for the moms and dads out there who have to lower cholesterol.

Check out Silk Soy Milks- dairy allergic or not. You can sign up for a 75 cent coupon from the homepage.

By the way, this is a photo of a shelf in my refrigerator! Any other Silk fans out there?