Summer Report: Special Allergen Awareness Issue

Local college and university efforts to focus on nutrition and healthy habits.

In this edition:

Allergen Awareness Takes Top Priority

UC San Diego’s Safe Zone

Healthy Tips Department

Two Approaches to Promoting Allergen Awareness

at UCSB and USC

24412 6/13 ©2013. The National Association of College & University Food Services. All Rights Reserved.

The PacificRegion

Wellness

We want to hear from you! For the Fall/Winter report we want share how schools are combining culinary and nutrition efforts to shape their dining program. Share your stories with tara.sanders@oregonstate.edu

The Pacific Region’s Nutrition and Wellness committee wants to give special thanks to Packaged Foods for providing theexpertise to produce the Pacific Region Wellness Report.

Two Approaches to Promoting Allergen Awareness at UCSB and USCBy Danielle Kemp RD (UCSB) and Lindsey Pine MS, RD (USC)

“Does that chicken contain gluten?” “I’m allergic to eggs, what can I eat?” If you work in residential dining, you probably hear these questions on a daily basis. For a student with a food allergy or intolerance, it can be overwhelming to walk into a bustling dining hall and know what they can consume. Often, this is the first time students have the responsibility of managing their own food.

Both UCSB and USC strive to not only provide a safe dining environment for their customers, but also deliver the necessary accommodations and resources to those with food allergies and intolerances. Since there are no universal standards regarding dining hall allergen label-ing, it is up to the institution to devise a method that works best for its operation.

USC Residential DiningUSC places allergen labels in front of each dish found in the dining halls. While it can be tedious to comb through ingredients, with certain systems in place, accurate labeling can be achievable!

1) Use standardized recipes and train kitchen staff regarding the importance of following recipes every time the dish is cooked.

2) Label what the dish contains rather than what it doesn’t have.

3) Be as descriptive as possible when naming the dish. List dressings, cuts of meats, toppings, etc.

4) For foods cooked in the fryer, it may be wise to use the disclaimer: “cross-contact may occur in the fryer”.

5) Contact the manufacturer with vegan questions, especially regarding bulk cane sugar. Consider labeling the item as vegetarian if they don’t know the answer to your question.

6) Have managers check your work. That person may not be as knowledgeable as the dietitian regarding ingredients, but he/she can spot check if the salad has cheese, etc.

7) Have a protocol if ingredients change. When the dietitian is not available to make signage, the managers at USC fill out a template with the disclaimer: “This dish has not been analyzed for potential allergens. Please contact your dining hall manager with any questions.”

While each school uses different methods to label for allergens, students have found the resources extremely helpful in decoding what foods are safe. Both UCSB and USC Dietitians encourage strong communication with chefs, managers and cooks, in addition to relationship building between the students and dining staff.

While every effort is made for accurate labeling, mistakes can happen; therefore, it is important to post disclaimers. If a student has a severe allergy, it is strongly encouraged that students meet with the dietitian.

 

UCSB  pics  of  nut  allergen  labeling  in  dining  hall  

 

 

 

 

 

UCSB  pics  of  nut  allergen  labeling  in  dining  hall  

 

 

 

 

UCSB Picture of Nut Allergen Labeling in Dining Hall.

USC Picture of Sample Dining Room Allergen Card.

UCSB Residential DiningResidential Dining Services offers NetNutrition, an online nutrition analysis program that allows customers to make educated food choices by viewing nutrition labels of menu items. But more importantly it allows students with food allergies to filter the menu options to display foods they can consume. In addition to listing the eight major allergens, UCSB also lists vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free preferences. To ensure allergy data is correct, the dietitian reviews ingredient labels regularly and has a strong working relationship with vendors.

In addition to NetNutrition, we take additional steps in labeling any foods that contain nuts (tree nuts or peanuts). In the dining commons we use the color red to indicate any food item or recipe that contains nuts. We have red utensils, red signs, and items and recipes are written in red ink with “contains nuts” following the description on all menu boards.

JUNe, 2013

Mark Azhocar, Production Manager Canyon Vista Allergen Zone

UC San Diego’s Safe ZoneBy Elizabeth Shaw, MS, RD

Allergen AwarenessTakes Top Priority

Keep gluten-free foods in separate areas of dry storage and refrigerator to avoid cross contamina-tion with food containing gluten. This practice can be extended to what is considered the “Gluten-Free-Half Kitchen”. Be aware of the hidden sources of gluten such as soy sauce, malt, stocks or bases, ice cream, miso and caramel coloring. Useful ingre-dients for gluten-free cooking include but are not limited to cider vinegar, dried egg whites, liquid egg whites, dried buttermilk powder, unflavored gelatin and xanthan gum. Vinegar provides acid, which helps leavening. Egg whites, buttermilk powder and gelatin create texture. The liquid eggs are useful for recipes that call for whole eggs. Xanthan gum adds volume and moisture to gluten-free baked goods. Gluten-free flours include gluten-free all purpose (often made from a blend of gluten-free flours), brown or white rice, sorghum, quinoa flour, almond flour, tapioca or corn.

Quick Tips• Combining different flours together allows for

elimination of unwanted dominant tastes found naturally in the individual flours.

• Addition of fruit purees can give a beautiful mouth feel and add a richness that even fat cannot duplicate.

• Roux made with almond flour is an excellent thickening agent for sauces and soups as it has a natural nutty flavor.

• As mentioned above, adding xanthan gum to all your flours for baking, pizza crusts, etc. is EPIC.

• Using spring roll wraps (rice paper) instead of traditional tortillas can open up a whole new area of wraps for the gluten-free consumers. These wraps are light and allow for a unique flavor profile.

Healthy TipsDepartmentBy Dole Corporate Chef Rick Perez, C.E.C., AAC

Starting college is typically a student’s

first time on their own; away from the security of having a homemade meal. This new found “freedom” can cause stress not only on the student, but the parent as well. To provide a sense of relief for these families, Rebecca McDivitt, UC San Diego’s prior Registered Dietitian, and the culinary team began the campus allergen program back in 2008. UC San Diego changed the way college food service managed students with food allergies and developed a protocol to ensure a safe food environment was provided for these students.

The allergen protocol begins with an initial registration and review of the individual’s medical condition warranting a dietary accommodation with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). Once approved by the OSD, the student receives a letter, known as the OSD Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter, which indicates what specific dietary accommodations must be met depending on their medical needs. The RD and culinary team then work individually with the student to design a meal plan that will meet their nutritional needs within the dining units. Students are not limited to dine at only one location; they may choose to meet with a culinary representative at each of the six main dining units. The chef of each unit and the student then identify the best schedule for them to place and pick up meal orders.

UC San Diego’s culinary team has begun an allergen awareness training to ensure the best practices are followed in regards to food safety. Vaughn Vargus, C.E.C., C.C.A., believes in reaching all our employees, starting from the top down. “Our goal is to reinforce to our entire team the importance of following proper food handling procedures to prevent cross contamination”, says Vaughn. “We have created an in-depth training that includes a manual on food allergens and the role each employee plays in allergen aware-ness, as well as demonstration of the use of our purple kits”.

The San Jamar Allergy kit, aka the “purple kit”, was purchased by the culinary department for all locations that serve food allergy students. The goal behind these kits was to decrease the chances of cross-contamination in the kitchen. The purple color helps to identify the tools as for the “allergen-free” zone. The kit contains a cutting board, tongs, Chef’s knife and nylon turner.

Donavan Jones, C.C.C., has hands on experi-ence working with many allergen students at UC San Diego. Donavan says, “It is imperative all staff become educated on the importance of allergen awareness. The hands-on train-ing we have received was very helpful to get the message out on the significance of food safety and prevention of cross-contamination in our kitchens”.

Thomas Chew, a senior now at UC San Diego, can attest to the strengths of the allergen proto-col at UC San Diego. “The quality and extent of my allergy accommodations have contributed to my decision to live on-campus for all four years. Whenever I was allergic to the food options normally offered, the cooks at Canyon Vista would prepare a fresh plate for me. The staff I’ve encountered have been incredibly understanding of my condition.”

UC San Diego has received numerous inquiries about the allergen protocol as students are making their decisions as to which university to attend in the fall. Many parents have been blown away by the extensive allergen system, and feel secure in knowing if their child were to choose UC San Diego, they would be well taken care of. As the current RD for UC San Diego, I look forward to what the next year brings and hope to continue to expand the depth of our offer-ings, knowledge and trainings for the allergen program.

“Allergen awareness fever is sweeping through the Pacific region of NACUFS! It was clear during the “Allergen Awareness” panel session that was created a few weeks before the NACUFS regional conference in Reno that this has quickly become a hot topic among our Pacific region universities and colleges.

With the growing need to serve individuals with special dietary needs in the college and university food service setting, this issue of the Pacific Region Wellness Update is dedicated to sharing what Pacific Region NACUFS members are doing to provide safe service and inclusive environments for individuals with allergies and gluten sensitivity. We hope that hearing what many of our regional universities are currently doing around allergens will inspire you to continue to raise allergen awareness and expand employee training around food allergens and cross contamination in your departments.

Even before the Lesley University lawsuit decision, R&DE Stanford Dining was in the midst of training staff around allergen awareness with a top to bottom approach. The Wellness & Performance Nutritionist teamed up with the Senior Manager of Food Safety, Workplace Safety and Environmental Compliance and the Training and Administrative Standards Manager to create and conduct training to contingency staff along with Bargaining Unit employees, managers and chefs—from dining to hospitality and catering.

The ideal is for allergen training to take place early and often, so R&DE Stanford Dining is continuing training throughout the year. They are in the process of tying their allergen labeling standards for their core recipes into their data/purchasing computer system and online website.

Oregon State University’s University Housing and Dining Services has a similar approach—in the fall, all new student employees and staff are trained on food allergy and gluten handling practices (images to the right). Additionally, each concept has specific procedures outlined on how to handle gluten-free orders. What we found was a classroom training wasn’t enough to give our staff and student employees the confidence to prepare gluten-free options. To help ensure consistency and confidence in our staff, we’ve outlined and posted procedures for each concept. In our trainings we emphasize that our goal to do our very best to minimize the potential for cross-contact of gluten since we do not have dedicated gluten-free facilities, this is our best approach.

Allergen Awareness TRAINING Takes Top Priority with Stanford and Oregon State University’s Housing and Dining Services!

GLUTEN-FREE Micro-Kitchen at Stanford.

Gluten-Free Self-Serve Station at McNary Dining Center at Oregon State University.

Deli Gluten-Free Procedures at Oregon State University Housing and Dining Services.

San Jamar Allergen Kit

Mark Azhocar, Production Manager Canyon Vista Allergen Zone

UC San Diego’s Safe ZoneBy Elizabeth Shaw, MS, RD

Allergen AwarenessTakes Top Priority

Keep gluten-free foods in separate areas of dry storage and refrigerator to avoid cross contamina-tion with food containing gluten. This practice can be extended to what is considered the “Gluten-Free-Half Kitchen”. Be aware of the hidden sources of gluten such as soy sauce, malt, stocks or bases, ice cream, miso and caramel coloring. Useful ingre-dients for gluten-free cooking include but are not limited to cider vinegar, dried egg whites, liquid egg whites, dried buttermilk powder, unflavored gelatin and xanthan gum. Vinegar provides acid, which helps leavening. Egg whites, buttermilk powder and gelatin create texture. The liquid eggs are useful for recipes that call for whole eggs. Xanthan gum adds volume and moisture to gluten-free baked goods. Gluten-free flours include gluten-free all purpose (often made from a blend of gluten-free flours), brown or white rice, sorghum, quinoa flour, almond flour, tapioca or corn.

Quick Tips• Combining different flours together allows for

elimination of unwanted dominant tastes found naturally in the individual flours.

• Addition of fruit purees can give a beautiful mouth feel and add a richness that even fat cannot duplicate.

• Roux made with almond flour is an excellent thickening agent for sauces and soups as it has a natural nutty flavor.

• As mentioned above, adding xanthan gum to all your flours for baking, pizza crusts, etc. is EPIC.

• Using spring roll wraps (rice paper) instead of traditional tortillas can open up a whole new area of wraps for the gluten-free consumers. These wraps are light and allow for a unique flavor profile.

Healthy TipsDepartmentBy Dole Corporate Chef Rick Perez, C.E.C., AAC

Starting college is typically a student’s

first time on their own; away from the security of having a homemade meal. This new found “freedom” can cause stress not only on the student, but the parent as well. To provide a sense of relief for these families, Rebecca McDivitt, UC San Diego’s prior Registered Dietitian, and the culinary team began the campus allergen program back in 2008. UC San Diego changed the way college food service managed students with food allergies and developed a protocol to ensure a safe food environment was provided for these students.

The allergen protocol begins with an initial registration and review of the individual’s medical condition warranting a dietary accommodation with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). Once approved by the OSD, the student receives a letter, known as the OSD Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter, which indicates what specific dietary accommodations must be met depending on their medical needs. The RD and culinary team then work individually with the student to design a meal plan that will meet their nutritional needs within the dining units. Students are not limited to dine at only one location; they may choose to meet with a culinary representative at each of the six main dining units. The chef of each unit and the student then identify the best schedule for them to place and pick up meal orders.

UC San Diego’s culinary team has begun an allergen awareness training to ensure the best practices are followed in regards to food safety. Vaughn Vargus, C.E.C., C.C.A., believes in reaching all our employees, starting from the top down. “Our goal is to reinforce to our entire team the importance of following proper food handling procedures to prevent cross contamination”, says Vaughn. “We have created an in-depth training that includes a manual on food allergens and the role each employee plays in allergen aware-ness, as well as demonstration of the use of our purple kits”.

The San Jamar Allergy kit, aka the “purple kit”, was purchased by the culinary department for all locations that serve food allergy students. The goal behind these kits was to decrease the chances of cross-contamination in the kitchen. The purple color helps to identify the tools as for the “allergen-free” zone. The kit contains a cutting board, tongs, Chef’s knife and nylon turner.

Donavan Jones, C.C.C., has hands on experi-ence working with many allergen students at UC San Diego. Donavan says, “It is imperative all staff become educated on the importance of allergen awareness. The hands-on train-ing we have received was very helpful to get the message out on the significance of food safety and prevention of cross-contamination in our kitchens”.

Thomas Chew, a senior now at UC San Diego, can attest to the strengths of the allergen proto-col at UC San Diego. “The quality and extent of my allergy accommodations have contributed to my decision to live on-campus for all four years. Whenever I was allergic to the food options normally offered, the cooks at Canyon Vista would prepare a fresh plate for me. The staff I’ve encountered have been incredibly understanding of my condition.”

UC San Diego has received numerous inquiries about the allergen protocol as students are making their decisions as to which university to attend in the fall. Many parents have been blown away by the extensive allergen system, and feel secure in knowing if their child were to choose UC San Diego, they would be well taken care of. As the current RD for UC San Diego, I look forward to what the next year brings and hope to continue to expand the depth of our offer-ings, knowledge and trainings for the allergen program.

“Allergen awareness fever is sweeping through the Pacific region of NACUFS! It was clear during the “Allergen Awareness” panel session that was created a few weeks before the NACUFS regional conference in Reno that this has quickly become a hot topic among our Pacific region universities and colleges.

With the growing need to serve individuals with special dietary needs in the college and university food service setting, this issue of the Pacific Region Wellness Update is dedicated to sharing what Pacific Region NACUFS members are doing to provide safe service and inclusive environments for individuals with allergies and gluten sensitivity. We hope that hearing what many of our regional universities are currently doing around allergens will inspire you to continue to raise allergen awareness and expand employee training around food allergens and cross contamination in your departments.

Even before the Lesley University lawsuit decision, R&DE Stanford Dining was in the midst of training staff around allergen awareness with a top to bottom approach. The Wellness & Performance Nutritionist teamed up with the Senior Manager of Food Safety, Workplace Safety and Environmental Compliance and the Training and Administrative Standards Manager to create and conduct training to contingency staff along with Bargaining Unit employees, managers and chefs—from dining to hospitality and catering.

The ideal is for allergen training to take place early and often, so R&DE Stanford Dining is continuing training throughout the year. They are in the process of tying their allergen labeling standards for their core recipes into their data/purchasing computer system and online website.

Oregon State University’s University Housing and Dining Services has a similar approach—in the fall, all new student employees and staff are trained on food allergy and gluten handling practices (images to the right). Additionally, each concept has specific procedures outlined on how to handle gluten-free orders. What we found was a classroom training wasn’t enough to give our staff and student employees the confidence to prepare gluten-free options. To help ensure consistency and confidence in our staff, we’ve outlined and posted procedures for each concept. In our trainings we emphasize that our goal to do our very best to minimize the potential for cross-contact of gluten since we do not have dedicated gluten-free facilities, this is our best approach.

Allergen Awareness TRAINING Takes Top Priority with Stanford and Oregon State University’s Housing and Dining Services!

GLUTEN-FREE Micro-Kitchen at Stanford.

Gluten-Free Self-Serve Station at McNary Dining Center at Oregon State University.

Deli Gluten-Free Procedures at Oregon State University Housing and Dining Services.

San Jamar Allergen Kit

Summer Report: Special Allergen Awareness Issue

Local college and university efforts to focus on nutrition and healthy habits.

In this edition:

Allergen Awareness Takes Top Priority

UC San Diego’s Safe Zone

Healthy Tips Department

Two Approaches to Promoting Allergen Awareness

at UCSB and USC

24412 6/13 ©2013. The National Association of College & University Food Services. All Rights Reserved.

The PacificRegion

Wellness

We want to hear from you! For the Fall/Winter report we want share how schools are combining culinary and nutrition efforts to shape their dining program. Share your stories with tara.sanders@oregonstate.edu

The Pacific Region’s Nutrition and Wellness committee wants to give special thanks to Packaged Foods for providing theexpertise to produce the Pacific Region Wellness Report.

Two Approaches to Promoting Allergen Awareness at UCSB and USCBy Danielle Kemp RD (UCSB) and Lindsey Pine MS, RD (USC)

“Does that chicken contain gluten?” “I’m allergic to eggs, what can I eat?” If you work in residential dining, you probably hear these questions on a daily basis. For a student with a food allergy or intolerance, it can be overwhelming to walk into a bustling dining hall and know what they can consume. Often, this is the first time students have the responsibility of managing their own food.

Both UCSB and USC strive to not only provide a safe dining environment for their customers, but also deliver the necessary accommodations and resources to those with food allergies and intolerances. Since there are no universal standards regarding dining hall allergen label-ing, it is up to the institution to devise a method that works best for its operation.

USC Residential DiningUSC places allergen labels in front of each dish found in the dining halls. While it can be tedious to comb through ingredients, with certain systems in place, accurate labeling can be achievable!

1) Use standardized recipes and train kitchen staff regarding the importance of following recipes every time the dish is cooked.

2) Label what the dish contains rather than what it doesn’t have.

3) Be as descriptive as possible when naming the dish. List dressings, cuts of meats, toppings, etc.

4) For foods cooked in the fryer, it may be wise to use the disclaimer: “cross-contact may occur in the fryer”.

5) Contact the manufacturer with vegan questions, especially regarding bulk cane sugar. Consider labeling the item as vegetarian if they don’t know the answer to your question.

6) Have managers check your work. That person may not be as knowledgeable as the dietitian regarding ingredients, but he/she can spot check if the salad has cheese, etc.

7) Have a protocol if ingredients change. When the dietitian is not available to make signage, the managers at USC fill out a template with the disclaimer: “This dish has not been analyzed for potential allergens. Please contact your dining hall manager with any questions.”

While each school uses different methods to label for allergens, students have found the resources extremely helpful in decoding what foods are safe. Both UCSB and USC Dietitians encourage strong communication with chefs, managers and cooks, in addition to relationship building between the students and dining staff.

While every effort is made for accurate labeling, mistakes can happen; therefore, it is important to post disclaimers. If a student has a severe allergy, it is strongly encouraged that students meet with the dietitian.

 

UCSB  pics  of  nut  allergen  labeling  in  dining  hall  

 

 

 

 

 

UCSB  pics  of  nut  allergen  labeling  in  dining  hall  

 

 

 

 

UCSB Picture of Nut Allergen Labeling in Dining Hall.

USC Picture of Sample Dining Room Allergen Card.

UCSB Residential DiningResidential Dining Services offers NetNutrition, an online nutrition analysis program that allows customers to make educated food choices by viewing nutrition labels of menu items. But more importantly it allows students with food allergies to filter the menu options to display foods they can consume. In addition to listing the eight major allergens, UCSB also lists vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free preferences. To ensure allergy data is correct, the dietitian reviews ingredient labels regularly and has a strong working relationship with vendors.

In addition to NetNutrition, we take additional steps in labeling any foods that contain nuts (tree nuts or peanuts). In the dining commons we use the color red to indicate any food item or recipe that contains nuts. We have red utensils, red signs, and items and recipes are written in red ink with “contains nuts” following the description on all menu boards.

JUNe, 2013