More dining options for those with food allergies
Starting this semester, food allergy sufferers at CSU Monterey Bay will have an easier time finding meals that work for them.
Simple Servings, a station located in the Dining Commons, will provide healthy and tasty meals at lunch and dinner for those who can’t tolerate gluten, soy, dairy, tree nuts, peanuts, eggs or shellfish.
Implemented at several universities in the fall of 2012 as a pilot program for Sodexo, the university’s food service provider, Simple Servings will be available at several dozen schools this fall. CSUMB is the first university in California to offer it.
Lunch and dinner menus will change daily and include beef, chicken, pork, turkey and fin fish as well as vegetarian dishes.
“From Carolina pulled pork with baked beans to lemon dill tilapia with basmati rice, students are sure to find something that satisfies their hunger and their dietary needs,” said Tyler McBrian, marketing and sustainability manager for Campus Dining Services.
All staff members are taught about the risks of food allergies and trained to properly handle foods. “Everything is cooked separately using purple-colored utensils to prevent cross contamination,” said executive chef Uriah Paiva. “We serve the students ourselves to ensure that the food is handled correctly.”
Sodexo points out that Simple Servings meals are also ideal for diners who are focused on simple ingredients and portion size.
Meatless Monday will continue at all five campus dining locations this year – the Dining Commons, the newly renovated Otter Express, Starbucks, the library café and the Otter Bay Restaurant. The restaurant will be closed during the fall semester for remodeling.