When enrolling in school and supplying personal information, students should also be asked a question about their dietary needs. Students are asked if they need to be supplied with special assistance for certain disabilities. Though food allergies and disabilities are different, it is something that should be known to all and given some thought.
Cross contamination among different foods can pose a serious risk to having an allergic reaction. For this reason, the cafeteria should have an allergy-free zone to prepare food. Kitchen staff can make sure to thoroughly wash utensils and cooking surfaces, which would make it less likely for a meal to become contaminated with a certain allergy.
When a person works or goes to school full time, they often don’t have a chance to plan meals, leading them toward quick snacks, acting as meal replacements. It can be difficult to find options that do not include the common allergies, including gluten, milk and peanuts.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food allergies affect about 2 percent of adults in the United States, and the number of young people diagnosed with a food allergy has risen in the last decade.
Food allergies affect both diet and eating habits and can lead to sickness or allergic reactions. Food intolerances, celiac disease and serious allergies, which can result in anaphylaxis, are a danger to many and should be taken into serious consideration.
Many professors do not know the severity of certain medical issues that students face. Since many allergic reactions pose a threat to physical safety, people with reactions may carry supplies of anti-histamines, such as Benadryl, or an EpiPen. In the case of an emergency, students should inform their teachers if they are in need of further medical treatment.
Students may not be in a position to help themselves at the time, so informing a faculty member of their reaction and what could happen at the start of the semester, would help everyone involved to better understand a plan of action.
Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/01/08/168872161/college-students-with-food-allergies-make-legal-gains