Food Allergies

We take pride in sourcing wholesome ingredients, preparing recipes accurately and providing nutritional analysis and ingredient statements through our online menus and nutrition calculator. We are all passionate about serving students. From general manager to front line servers, we work diligently to address students’ specific needs, especially those with food allergies, Celiac disease, or special diet needs.

A team approach led by you, our educated consumer, is the best preparation for a safe school year free of allergic reactions. We want to meet one-on-one with all of our customers who have individual dining needs to ensure that your dining experience is safe, delicious, and social. If you have a food allergy/special diet concern, please call or send us a note using the feedback form.

Mindful

Mindful is Sodexo's health & wellness approach that helps you make healthy choices second nature! We are committed to creating healthy environments for our customers. Central to this effort is providing healthy, nutritious foods. The result of this initiative is an approach that focuses on transparency of ingredients, delicious food, satisfying portions and clarity in message so that you can make Mindful choices!

Mindful offerings meet stringent nutritional criteria based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Each meal part is limited in calories, has fewer than 30% of calories as fat, fewer than 10 % of calories as saturated fat, and is restricted in sodium, and cholesterol. Look for the Mindful icon to indulge in the healthy and delicious items offered at each meal.

Simple Servings at East Texas A&M

The Simple Servings station at the Lion's Mane Cafeteria provides safe and appetizing food choices for our customers with food allergies, gluten intolerance, and those who prefer simple food. All foods served at this station are prepared with ingredients that do not contain milk, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, or gluten. The station uses separate equipment/utensils, preparation areas, and storage areas to minimize the potential of allergens or gluten in our Simple Servings foods. The menu rotates daily and includes a variety of protein (i.e., chicken, beef, lentils), vegetables (i.e., broccoli, carrots, green beans), and starches (i.e., rice, potato, quinoa). There is a salad option available too. The station is incorporated into the servery to allow students, even those without allergy or gluten concerns, to enjoy the wholesome food selections. We ask that guests do not bring food from other stations and only use the plates provided by our servers at Simple Servings. Simple Servings team members are carefully trained to prepare and serve safe food. We provide training throughout the year for all employees and our managers and supervisors also hold AllerTrainU™ certificates.

While the Simple Servings station is designed to allow customers an easy way to avoid allergens and gluten, we encourage our customers with special dietary needs to connect with our chef, registered dietitian, and general manager to ensure an enjoyable dining experience. Please contact us at Matthew.Sanchez@sodexo.com, or contact our Regional Dietitian at Kelsey.Rosenbaum@sodexo.com .

Dining Menus and Allergen Labeling

Our menus provide contains statements specifically highlighting the big nine allergens (milk, eggs, shellfish, fish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, sesame) and gluten. Guests may check on the presence of allergens prior to planning their meals using the online menu or Everyday app. The information is also posted on menu boards in the dining center. The absence of an allergen listed on posted or electronic signage is not a guarantee that the product is free of that allergen as other recipes are prepared in the kitchen that do contain food allergens. The guest is responsible for communicating their allergy to a manager to ensure safety. Food Allergies, Intolerances and Medical Needs We are here to help! We want to meet one-on-one with anyone who has individual dining needs to ensure that your dining experience is safe, delicious, and social. For students with medical conditions that impact their ability to dine well on campus, we strongly encourage a conversation with our Registered Dietitian, Executive Chef, and/or General Manager. In many instances, our dining team can easily assist with special needs. Occasionally, Dining Services cannot meet a student’s medical needs within normal service. We may require additional medical documentation to enable us to develop a more specific meal plan accommodation. In this situation, please visit the Office of Student Disabilities Services or visit them at this link for details and instructions on how to submit a meal plan accommodation request. This process is for those with medically documented diagnosis/-es that need to request special dining accommodations or have medically prescribed diet plans for the treatment of a medical condition. Together, our departments work to serve our students with medical needs related to dining on campus.