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Food safety is important to all �ֲ���ý��� students, staff, faculty, and guests. As a part of employee training, all staff in dining services undergo ServSafe manager training and FARE allergen training. 

All of our foods are prepared in a facility where peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, milk, eggs, and sesame are also prepared. Efforts are made to keep foods separate, but cross-contamination or cross-contact is possible.

If you would like to give feedback, there are several ways to do so: 

• Email our office directly.
• (A QR code is located by the Marketplace exit or under “Feedback” at
  . 
• Leave a comment at our comment board located by the Marketplace exit.

Your Role in Food Safety

Avoid cross-contact and cross-contamination

Did you know simple steps on your part can make it possible for others to use the dining hall while staying safe and true to their beliefs? Your fellow diners include many people with dietary restrictions because of medical conditions, food allergies, and moral and religious convictions.

This means some cannot eat safely at the dining hall unless we all help create a safe and welcoming environment.

To show respect for others and keep yourself and others safe, please:

Do:

• Wash your hands before serving, dishing up, picking up, or eating food. Washing your hands breaks down and removes contaminates such as allergens, bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Bathrooms are available in the hallway near the dining hall entrance.
• Use hand sanitizer. Sanitizer will kill some pathogens on the skin. However, it does not remove allergens. You can still transfer allergens and some pathogens if you only use sanitizer. Sanitizer pumps are located near the cashier stand and by the exit of the Marketplace. 
• Always use a clean plate, bowl, cup, or glass when returning for second portions to prevent cross-contact and cross-contamination. 

Do Not:

• Allow serving utensils to come in contact with other food on your plate.
• Allow one kind of food to fall into another food when you are dishing them up. 
• Take gluten containing foods to the gluten free venue.
• Take non-halal foods to the halal venue.
• Take non-kosher-style foods to the kosher style venue.
• Take foods with animal products to the vegan venue.
• Take food from the special venues — halal, kosher-style, or vegan — if you do not observe these diets.
• Take food from the gluten-free venue if you do not observe a gluten-free diet nor have allergies to gluten-containing foods.

Please let staff know if you accidentally cause cross-contamination or cross-contact for a utensil or food. Staff can then take steps to replace the utensils or contaminated food.

Navigating the Dining Hall

Find nutrition, ingredient, and allergen information using our .

Check menu signs at the point of service for the allergens in each food offered. An allergen icon legend is at the bottom of every digital screen at every food venue in the Marketplace.

At �ֲ���ý���, we label for the following allergens and practices on our signage.

Stations

Nut Station

• A separate table for items containing peanuts and tree nuts is near the salad bar.
• Hot foods containing nuts may be served at the other venues within the Marketplace and are labeled with their allergens on menu signs at the point of service.

Gluten-Free Station (GF)

• Gluten-free foods are at the very east end of the servery past the stir-fry, halal, and vegan stations.
• Foods at this station do not contain gluten.
• Behind the gluten-free station, you will find a toaster specifically for gluten-free foods, a waffle iron for gluten-free waffles, and a selection of gluten-free breads, bagels, cereals, and condiments.
• Butter, Smart Balance, and cream cheese are in the refrigerator under the gluten-free toaster.
• Purple bowls can be found behind the gluten-free station. These bowls microwave better than other serviceware in the Marketplace. In addition, using these bowls identifies to Dining Stall that you have severe allergies or a medical condition.
• The saute station has gluten-free pasta upon request from the chef. Gluten-free pasta takes 2-3 minutes to prepare.
• At the Honor G Grill, you may request a grilled chicken breast, vegan burger, or plain hamburger without a bun at any time the grill is open. On Wednesdays, you may request grilled cod loin.

Medical Diets Area for Gluten-Free Diners

• The medical diet area is in the Cozy Dining Room. Items in this area are checked twice a day to confirm freshness and quality.
• The freezer contains additional gluten-free items such as quinoa, lentils, ice cream, muffins, and cookies.
• The cooler contains almond milk, unsweetened rice milk, individually packed sliced cheeses and meats, boiled eggs, and some alternative buttery spreads.

Halal Station (H)

• Halal foods meet Islamic law.
• The halal station is located at the very east end al the servery (past the stir-fry station).
• Halal food does not contain blood (flowing or congealed), carnivorous animals, meat that is not slaughtered according to Islamic rites, or swine or pork. 
• Meats in this venue are proteins that are produced, manufactured, processed, and stored according to Islamic law.
• Foods in this venue do not contain alcohol.

If you observe Ramadan, dining will provide appropriate foods in a designated room of the Rosenfield Center (JRC) during this time. At the Honor G Grill, you may request a halal grilled chicken breast, vegan burger, or plain halal hamburger at any time the grill is open. On Wednesdays, you may request a grilled cod loin.

At the dessert station, many of our products do not contain alcohol as our bakery produces their own alcohol-free vanilla extract.

Kosher-Style Station (Ks)

• The kosher-style station is located at the east end of the servery (before the stir-fry station).
• Foods at this venue do not include pork or shellfish.
• Meat and dairy are not be offered during the same meal period at this station.
• This venue provides Passover items for those who observe the holiday.
• At the Honor G Grill, you may request a grilled chicken breast, vegan burger, or plain hamburger at any time the grill is open. On Wednesdays, you may request a grilled cod loin.

Vegan Station (V)

• The vegan station is located at the very east end of the servery (past the stir-fry and halal stations).
• Foods at this station do not contain any animal proteins or animal by­ products.
• At the Honor G Grill, you may request a grilled vegan burger at any time the grill is open.

Additional Food Products

If you have a need for additional food products to meet your medical needs, or desire a dietary consultation, please contact our Registered Dietitian at:dietition@grinnell.edu.

Food Allergy and Practice Definitions

Celiac Disease

A serious autoimmune disorder which leads to small intestinal damage to the extent nutrients cannot be absorbed properly when people with this disease eat gluten (a protein found in barley, rye, and wheat).

Associated with long-term health conditions such as anemia, osteopenio, infertility and miscarriage, central and peripheral nervous system disorders, intestinal lymphomas, and other gastrointestinal cancers and neurological malfunctions.

Food Allergies

An allergic reaction is on abnormal response by the body's immune system to a food that is eaten. Allergic reactions con range in severity from mild to life-threatening.

Currently there is no cure for food allergies, and thus avoidance of foods which cause on allergic reaction is the only way to avoid having a serious reaction.

College students with food allergies are faced with dietary challenges when eating in the dining hall. They are responsible for all the food they consume. They therefore must take time to read food ingredient labels, have knowledge of "hidden" ingredients, and be aware of cross-contact and cross-contamination of foods which they eat. To eat safely, selecting foods to eat in the dining hall requires diligence on the part of the allergenic student.

Cross-Contact

When an allergen-containing food, surface, or utensil comes in contact with a non-allergenic food, the previously non-allergenic food becomes contaminated.

Safe practices must be followed by diners and food service staff to assure allergenic ingredients do not spill or come in contact with non­ allergen foods.

Halal (H)

Foods that meet Islamic law.

Halal food does not contain alcohol, blood (flowing or congealed), carnivorous animals, meat that is not slaughtered according to Islamic rites, or swine or pork.

This also includes being free of ingredients in the preparation or seasoning that contain any of the prohibited animal by-products or religiously prohibited substances.

Kosher Style (Ks)

• Food permissible according to Kashrut's rules. Kashrut is Jewish dietary law.
• Meat cannot be eaten with dairy. Fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables, and grains are permissible to eat with meat or dairy, these “neutral” categories are referred to as pareve.
• Kosher meat can come from animals who have cloven hooves and chew their cud, which excludes pigs (pork).
• Any animals from the water that have fins and scales may be consumed, which excludes shellfish.
• Utensils that have come in contact with meat may not be used with dairy containing products. Utensils that have come into contact with non-kosher food may not be used with kosher food. These apply only when the contact has occurred when the food is hot.

Ovo·Lacto Vegetarian (OL)

A person who does not eat meat whose diet consists of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, eggs, and dairy products.

Vegan (V)

A person who does not eat anything of animal or animal by-product origin, including honey, dairy, eggs, meat, seafood, and any product containing any of these.