Skidmore Guidelines for Managing Students with Food Allergies
We encourage any students with severe Food Allergies to allocate time to meet with the Executive Chef, Production Manager or Kitchen Manager to tour the Dining Hall which will be an opportunity to share information and ask questions.
Student's Responsibility
- Notify the College of his or her allergies.
- Work with the Dining Services Team to develop a plan that accommodates his or her needs.
- Provide written documentation, emergency contact information, instructions and medications as directed by your physician to Health Servies here on Campus.
- Be proficient in the self-management of his or her food allergy including:
- Avoidance of unsafe foods
- Recognition of symptoms of allergic reactions
- How and when to tell someone they may be having an allergy-related problem
- Knowledge of proper use of medication to treat an allergic reaction
- Carry prescribed medications at all times
- If a student feels like they are having a reaction in the Dining Hall, have them or a friend, immediately notify a Manager on duty. Management will call Campus Safety at 518-580-5566 or just ext. 5566 on campus for evaluation and assistance. They can provide medication and transportation to the Saratoga Hospital if necessary.
- Administering the Epi-pen: In the case of an Anaphylaxis reaction, students should be prepared to inject their own Epi-pen. There are trained professionals on campus to assist with this.
Skidmore will do the following:
- Label all top allergens that may appear in any dish to include: (peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, eggs, gluten, and dairy). Also label whether a dish is Vegetarian, or Vegan.
- Management will provide select students use of the Test Kitchen where they will have access to store dry goods, refrigerated items and freezer items. This area will also assist in providing a safe area to prevent cross-contamination.
- Students with severe allergies must meet with a member of the Dining Services Management Team and a Culinary Professional to assist them with their allergies. Meetings are available with our Executive Chef, Production Manager or Kitchen Manager to discuss their allergies and show them around the Dining Hall. Note:It is preferred that we learn about these severe allergies prior to starting at Skidmore.
- In some cases, we will create a special menu for a student and have their meals separately prepared by a trained Chef to avoid any cross-contact of foods.
- Dining Services staff will be trained annually on Food Allergies and prevention based on criteria based on FARE/ALLERTRAIN.
- It is mandatory that all Dining Services staff are trained and certified in safe food handling procedures by ServSafe which is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Conference for Food Protection (CFP).
- Our Chefs are constantly reviewing menus and recipes to offer our guests a wider variety of allergen friendly menu items.
- Dining Services has removed, peanut oil, peanuts and tree nuts from all recipes and menu offerings within the Dining Hall, with the exception of individual peanut butters and almond milk.
- Dining Services offers the following items on a daily basis: soy vanilla and chocolate milk, almond milk, sunflower butter, gluten free breads, wraps, pastries, waffles, bagels, pizza dough, cookies, brownies and flour.