By Allison T.
Peanuts are the number one allergen, and for many, the allergy is airborne. It’s easier to remove an item from the menu to keep everyone safe rather than take any risks
For many of us, Georgia conjures up images of saccharine, fuzzy peaches and peanuts around every corner (quite literally, gas stations serve boiled peanut soup). At Georgia Tech, one of the state’s flagship universities, on-campus dining halls are 100% free of peanuts and tree nuts—a bold move for a university in the heart of peanut country. For the Georgia Tech Dining Services team, the transition to nut-free facilities and menu options was a no-brainer. “Peanuts are the number one allergen, and for many, the allergy is airborne. It’s easier to remove an item from the menu to keep everyone safe rather than take any risks”, says dining hall manager Octavia Dabney. Despite the transition to peanut-free dining, GTech students certainly aren’t missing out, with the dining halls offering sweet and savory alternatives, such as a no-nut brittle dessert made from pumpkin seeds.
The allergy accommodations don’t stop there. Georgia Tech Sodexo and Dining Services launched Simple Servings (available at select dining commons), an entire segment of the cafeteria menu devoted to meal options free from the top 8 allergens as defined by the USDA. “It’s an example of how allergy-free food can be impactful to others”, says Octavia Dabney, whose passion for food service shines through in her team’s tireless work to accommodate students with a variety of dietary restrictions, ranging from health conditions to religious reasons. Octavia emphasize the importance of food in a college setting over a phone interview: “The root word of restaurant is to ‘restore’. Every student comes here (North Ave Dining Commons) to be restored. Food impacts the whole person. These students are away from home, and it’s important to create food that will provide comfort. This is why it’s so important for leaders in the food industry to understand how great an impact food has on the people you serve”.
Visiting Georgia Tech’s North Ave Dining Hall, I was struck by the friendliness of the staff as well as the multitude of options available. Despite my 15 food allergies, I was able to try freshly baked white bread and raisin bread (gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free), safely-cooked stir-fry vegetables, and a plethora of other foods (let’s just say I left with with a full stomach). The images below illustrate just a small sampling of the many options available to GeorgiaTech students with food allergies and dietary restrictions.
Allergy-Approved applauds GeorgiaTech for their outstanding dedication to food allergy safety and their commitment to continuously improving their services to meet student needs. We’re proud to have recognized GeorgiaTech with the Allergy-Approved Campus Award.
Allergy-Approved 