Navigating Food Allergies in College: Choosing an Allergy-Friendly School and Thriving in a New Environment

For students with food allergies, the college search may be more difficult. Ensuring that campus dining services, housing services, and local restaurants can accommodate is crucial for a positive and safe college experience. It is important for future college students with food allergies to evaluate each university's policies, resources, and support services to find the best fit for you!

To assess a college’s overall allergy accommodations, start by reviewing the universities’ websites and reach out to the disability services office. Then, look for information on policies regarding meal plans, residence hall policies, and procedures for learning about allergy-related accommodations. Fortunately, many colleges have web pages detailing student experiences as well as school-wide policies that are in place to accommodate a wide range of medical, dietary and personal needs.

Next, it would be advisable to look deeper into the dining options and allergen awareness on campus. Most colleges offer allergen-friendly stations in their dining halls, pre-made meals and/or order-ahead options to name a few! Allergen-friendly stations at colleges are increasing in prevalence and feature clear ingredient lists, trained staff, and specific allergy-friendly options, usually for the Top 9 allergens.

Many colleges have registered dietitians on hand to help navigate menu options and create meal plans based on your unique requirements. When touring the campus, be sure to ask detailed questions about the dining halls protocols for preventing cross-contamination, ingredient labeling, and accommodating special dietary needs.

Social support services are another important consideration when selecting a college. Some universities have allergy-focused student organizations or mentoring and support programs to help new students adjust and meet like-minded peers. Along with this, colleges have counseling and health services in place, which can be a useful resource when managing the emotional and physical impacts of living with food allergies.

To help narrow your search, resources such as FARE’s Food Allergy College Program and the Spokin site can provide valuable, vetted insights (from current college students!). These trusted guides offer college rankings, campus reviews, and firsthand accounts from students, all which will help you make an informed decision. 

In addition to college being a brand-new environment away from home, this brings more independence! This independence allows you to navigate your potential life-threatening allergies on your own while away from home, family and typical support systems. Even though this may seem scary, there are many things you can do prior to your first time on campus to make the transition easier!

Be sure to speak directly with the college yourself. For example, you can set up accommodation with the disability resource center that your future college may have. This will allow you to speak with someone about your allergies and see what accommodations in terms of food allergies that they may offer! Disability services can provide you with help in a variety of ways, such as finding an accommodative roommate/living situation. Connecting with and utilizing disability services can help you prepare for any roadblocks that you may hit during college.

A huge part of preparing for college is having all your own needs in order, including medications! Because some people may not be familiar with your allergy medications and uses, be sure to know everything so you are a pro! For example, it is advisable to know all the prescriptions/medications you have for your allergies. A nice way to stay organized is to keep a notebook containing the medications and dosages for easy access. In addition to this, contact the pharmacy closest to campus and arrange for them to receive your prescriptions. You can set calendar reminders for when medications expire so you can get refills! This can include any AUVI-Q, EpiPen, or other allergy medication used.

Once you are a pro with any medication you have/take, the next step can be familiarizing your future roommate! It is a good practice to teach your future roommate how to use the AUVI-Q/EpiPen, and to let your future friends know where you carry it if you are unable to do it yourself. If this type of circumstance were to happen, another idea is to provide your roommate/friends with a few emergency contacts of yours in case of an emergency! There are many things which you can do to make your transition to college with food allergies seamless, and to ensure that you are best prepared once you arrive.

A big part of college life is the dining halls throughout campus, which offer a wide variety of food for students to choose from. Many people might think that this is easy for people with allergies because they have many options to pick from. In contrast, a student must now be even more careful about hidden ingredients that one might not think would be present in a certain food. But there are tips and tricks that students can use when entering the college setting while having allergies to navigate.

The most important thing to do is ask questions! College staff working in the food department are looking out for your best interests when it comes to food allergies. Reaching out to dining services can be the first step. They can get you in touch with a nutritionist, chef, or other kitchen staff member at the university to give you knowledge of the dining hall processes.

Scheduling calls or meeting with this person prior to school allows you to introduce yourself on a more personal level. They will be able to give you a plan in terms of what you can and cannot eat. In addition to this, they may even be able to take you around campus real-time to read labels of certain foods that you would eat while on campus. Being proactive about allergies is good! In the end, you want to enjoy your college experience while navigating food allergies safely and with comfort.

Another huge part of entering college is the social environment. This can range from finding a roommate, to campus events, to parties hosted by clubs or organizations that you may join. In terms of finding a roommate, communication is key! A good rule of thumb is to make sure that you mention early on that you have food allergies to friends, roommates and anyone with whom you’re surrounded. This will allow your future roommate and friends to learn more about allergies, so a safe food environment can be created within your living arrangement and social environment.

Furthermore, many social events occur for students to enjoy while at college. Whether food is being provided or not, one must still be careful. If unsure about food ingredients or if food will even be provided, the best thing to do is to eat prior or bring your own food just in case! Events not hosted by the college might not be as easy to navigate compared to dining halls that allow for communication with the staff. In addition to this, it might be a good idea to tell someone at the social event that you have food allergies, just in case of an emergency!

Finally, it cannot be stressed enough that you should never feel pressured to eat food you are unsure about/uncomfortable eating; peer pressure is real, but knowing it exists and being firm in your boundaries can help prevent any potential negative experiences down the road. College is an excellent opportunity to connect with others your age; make sure to still have fun and participate in social events! Looking out for your food allergies doesn’t have to stop you from this aspect of college and being adequately prepared can allow you to enjoy the college experience while making unforgettable memories!

This interview took place between TAG members Sakura Murase and Gianna Carcelli (University of Dayton, Class of 2026).  

SM: What are your allergies?

GC: Anaphylactic to sesame and all tree nuts.

SM: What has been your experience with food allergies throughout college so far?

GC: My experience navigating allergies throughout college has actually been fairly easy. Going to a smaller school made it a little easier when trying to contact people about my allergies. You realize how many people are looking out for your best interest and will do everything to ensure your comfort and safety.

SM: What does your university do to ensure your safety?

GC: I scheduled a phone call with the nutritionist before starting school to tell her about my allergies. At this time, I was living in a dorm room without a kitchen, so the dining halls were my source of food. After speaking with the nutritionist, she sent out an email to all of the kitchen managers of each dining hall that I had desire to eat at. She introduced herself and made them aware of my allergies. They were very helpful, as they told me I was always welcome to ask for them when I was unsure about any food that I wanted to try.  

Once I got to college, I scheduled a meeting with the campus nutritionist. We went around campus to a few dining halls and she introduced me in person to these staff members who she sent the email to. I was able to go back into the kitchens to talk to these people and read labels of any breads or foods that I had interest in getting. When ordering food, I would always introduce myself and make them aware of my allergies so they can take the necessary precautions to make sure cross contamination would not happen.

Some other things that my university offers is an allergy friendly room that was located in my freshman dorm and a website that allows me to check the nutritional information of all foods that were served. This allergy room was called the A+ room, and access was given to students like myself with food allergies. It had allergy friendly options such as frozen foods, cookies, bread and much more for students to purchase with their dining dollars. This room also had its own toaster and oven in case a student wanted to make any food. The website that Dayton offers was a life saver for me, because I was able to pick out exactly what food I wanted to get, and check all of the ingredients and if any allergens were present.

SM: Have you found a community with others who also have food allergies?

GC: I haven't found a specific community with allergies, but many friends that I have made also have food allergies. So they understand what I go through, and we can help each other navigate the food scene. Specifically, my roommate during my freshman and sophomore years also actually had a tree nut allergy like I do. That was very helpful as we were both very respectful of each other's allergies when handling food in the dorms.