Allergen-Safe-T Kits & Purple Utensils

SBU Eats dining locations offer Allergen-Safe-T-Kits. These  “purple kits” offer an opportunity for students to receive a customized meal on separate cooking smallwares. We expanded these kits to have separate cooking vessels such as pots, pans, spoons, baking sheets, and more to help a student receive a customized and allergen-sensitive experience. The  purple-colored utensils are only used when handling meals for food allergies and dietary intolerances. Please ask for a manager wearing a red shirt to request that they use this kit to prepare your meal if you have a food allergy or dietary intolerance.

Key Points for Navigating Food Allergies, Special Diets and Dietary Intolerances

• Check Your Menu

  Get into the habit of checking menus prior to entering the dining halls. This way, if you have any questions about the menus, available options, or need to place a customized order, there is time to make sure you have a successful trip to your desired dining location.

  View Menus on Nutrislice

• Plan Your Menu

  Planning your menu is not only a great strategy for eating, but it can also help remove some of the stress and anxiety associated with consuming an outside meal.

• Collaboration

  Make an appointment with the RD if you have questions and utilize the Practice Better Portal to complete the Food Allergy and Special Dietary Needs Request Form ideally 24-48 hours before your desired pick-up to avoid any delays or wait time.

  Always speak with the executive chefs and managers to review cooking procedures, menus, available options within the dining hall, product information, package labels, and recipes, and ask any questions you may have.

  Always ask the dining employees to change their gloves, change cooking utensils, offer a new or untouched pan if you are uncomfortable, or ask a manager to communicate your needs to the dining employee.

  Always ask about the hidden ingredients, like fry oil for deep-fried foods, bases for soup, gravies, or sauces, local products such as desserts, breads or wraps, breakfast danishes, muffins or rolls, ice cream, and/or coatings for fries and vegan or vegetarian burgers.

Avoiding Gluten? Program

The Avoiding Gluten? program is a labeling system for recipes that were made without gluten and/or gluten-containing ingredients. Icons will reflect these recipes in our menu line-up. We are not a gluten-free facility, and our dining halls contain items that contain gluten or have been in contact with gluten. As stated, the Avoiding Gluten? Icon will appear on recipes that were MADE without gluten. The recipes that are chosen to be a part of the Avoiding Gluten? Program have been manually selected. If the recipe is not labeled for Avoiding Gluten? please reach out to the campus registered dietitian to inquire about the recipe.

West Side Dining (Nut-Sensitive Facility)

West Side Dining is a nut-sensitive facility. We do not intentionally prepare our menus with any nuts or tree nuts as ingredients. However, products and ingredients may change and may be processed in facilities that contain or handle peanuts and tree nuts, both without our knowledge.  West Side Dining does handle and prepare foods with the remaining top allergens (sesame, egg, wheat, milk, shellfish, fish, and soy) along with other potential allergens, all in various forms. We ask that you consult with your chef or manager to discuss ingredients and/or food preparation methods.