February 25, 2025
Providence College Dining receives certified seal of approval for food allergy safety
By Sandy Coleman
Walk into Raymond Dining any day and the vast array of choices at 15 stations elicits excitement, curiosity, and delightful indecision. If you have food allergies, though, that excitement can be accompanied by concern about making the safest choices.
Providence College Dining Services has made the decisions easier through its Simple Servings station, which offers allergen-free meals, and Simple Zone, a password-protected pantry full of options for students with severe allergies. In addition, signs are posted at other stations to support choices based on dietary restrictions.
For its efforts to support well-being, PC Dining Services, which is run by Sodexo, has earned an AllerCheck certification from MenuTrinfo that recognizes the dedication to establishing the safest dining experience for students and others who have food allergies or intolerances.
MenuTrinfo, a company that specializes in food safety guidance and training, awards AllerCheck certification after a comprehensive assessment of dining facilities, policies, and practices that ensure the environment is allergen free and that there is no risk of cross-contact.
“My priority is to make sure students are as safe as possible by ensuring that we properly follow the allergen protocols and guidelines,” said Holli Mootz, RDN, the campus registered dietitian. “For students and parents, the AllerCheck certification gives them the peace of mind that we’re following the protocols.”
More than 33 million people in the United States have serious and potentially life-threatening food allergies, according to FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education), a charitable nonprofit seeking to improve the quality of life for those with allergies through research, advocacy, and education.
Katherine Benjamin ’26 and Lucy Droege ’26 are among the 33 million.
Benjamin, a marketing major from White Plains, New York, was diagnosed with tree nut and peanut allergies when she was 4. Exposure to either can cause anaphylaxis — a life-threatening immune system reaction marked by a tightening of the throat and constricted airways.
Eating in Raymond gives her great comfort, she said during a busy lunch hour when the college’s main dining hall was abuzz with overlapping conversation, the clanking of silverware, and Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” cranking from the sound system.
“It’s really important to have these options because it limits my worries and doesn’t make me stress out coming to eat lunch,” said Benjamin, who keeps her rescue EpiPen in her bag in case of emergencies.
“Usually, if I’m out at a restaurant, I have to be a little more mindful about cross-contamination. So, here, it’s nice that I can just go into the Simple Zone pantry and cook something and not have any worries. I can just pick up anything and I know it’s going to be fine,” she said.
Droege, a political science major from Silver Spring, Maryland, was diagnosed with celiac disease (an illness caused by an immune reaction to gluten) when she, too, was 4. She is so careful about the food she eats that it was a major consideration in choosing which college to attend.
“As a person with celiac disease, looking at colleges was daunting for all the usual reasons as well as the added stress of trying to find a school that I loved that accommodated my dietary needs and made me feel comfortable,” she said. “After touring Providence College, I was extremely impressed with the dedicated area for allergy-free foods as well as an entire station that only made gluten-free meals.”
“Feeling safe and comfortable when eating at the dining hall is such a small thing but it was a huge priority for me. At the end of the day, the Simple Servings and Simple Zone programs were a large factor in my final college decision, and I couldn’t be more pleased with my choice,” Droege said.
She enjoys the flexibility in Raymond Dining, the college’s main dining hall. It allows her to roam the room full of options and put together meals with choices from various stations — even from those not dedicated to being allergen free. She knows that if she can’t find what she wants, she can rely on Simple Servings and Simple Zone.
Simple Servings, which is open to all students, offers meals that exclude peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, wheat, soy, milk, eggs and gluten-containing ingredients (the source of 90% of the serious reactions, according to FARE). Cooking equipment is color-coded with purple, and all food preparation is separate from the general preparation areas.
The staff also has received special training and certification to reduce the chance of cross-contact with food allergens.
“If you ever talk to any of them, you can tell that they are very passionate about making sure that the students have what they need in order to eat, have a variety and feel comfortable and safe,” said Mootz, who does one-on-one nutrition counseling and educational outreach, prides herself on quickly responding to student requests. (If they ask for egg-free bread or cranberries to put on oatmeal, she’s on it.)
Caroline Stanton ’26, a business management major from Cheshire, Connecticut, doesn’t have food allergies, but she and her friends frequent Simple Servings. She especially loves the buffalo chicken breasts, baked potatoes, and the made-to-order stir fry offering.
“I think a lot of students like it. There are options for everyone,” said Stanton, who serves on the Student Life Committee of Student Congress. “It’s good clean ingredients. The meals are similar to what I would eat at home — a protein and two sides. Variety can get a little overwhelming for me when I’m trying to determine what I want to eat. At Simple Servings, it’s very straight forward. It’s a complete meal right in front of you.”
Simple Zone stocks gluten-free snacks, convenience foods, fruit and ready-to-eat meals needed by students who have celiac disease or nut allergies. The glass-enclosed room has a hot plate for cooking, designated dishes, a refrigerated case, and a sink. A whiteboard invites students to ask questions, make requests, offer complaints, and write notes of appreciation.
Students are required to apply for approval to access Simple Zone by filling out a form on PC’s Accessibility Accommodations website and meeting with the registered dietitian in Dining Services to discuss dietary needs and learn the protocols for using the room.
Droege noted that having allergen-free options prevents isolation because everyone has choices in the same space.
“These stations are a testament to the way that inclusion can be seamlessly incorporated into the dining hall and enable so many people to have peace of mind and feel safe when they’re eating, which is foundational to excelling in all areas of life,” she said.
“These options at Ray have contributed in a big way to my college experience. Without having to worry about where I’m going to find something that is safe to eat, I’ve been able to put much more time and energy into other aspects of my college experience,” Droege said.
