Why Hillgrove Should Offer Allergy Friendly Food
Abby Barrett
Abby Barrett
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are more than 3 million US cases of food allergies or sensitivities every year. With it being that common, you can expect people that you know in school to have them as well. What people do not think of when thinking about people with allergies, is what they eat when they are at school. Hillgrove sophomore, Chloe Buchan, has Celiacs disease which is a disease causing an allergy to gluten and dairy. When speaking about not having options at school, she said, “We have to bring food from home, and if we forget then we really don’t have anything to eat.” While some people do not mind missing a meal, others can not go without lunch or they feel almost as sick as they would if they ate the food they are allergic to. As a person that is familiar with heavy food allergies, it is understood how frustrating it is to not have food to eat and watch everyone around you eat.
School cafeterias should offer at least one allergy friendly option that does not have gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, or any other common allergen. Buchan agrees with this statement and said, “I understand allergy friendly food is more expensive, but at least have something for people to eat.” It is assumed that salad is a safe food to eat in the cafeteria, but that is wrong. The salad is cross-contaminated with the flatbread they lay on top of it and left over crumbs from croutons since they share serving spoons to put toppings on the salad. The cafeteria should either prevent cross contamination on the salads, or put an option in other lines with grilled chicken or gluten free and dairy free pizza.
This may not affect the majority of the students at Hillgrove, but it will make a huge difference for the people who go hungry at school because they do not have food options. Most allergy friendly food requires cooking, so it is hard enough to bring it to school let alone have it stay at the correct temperature until lunch, or even later if they have sports or extracurricular activities. If the school offered allergy friendly food in the cafeteria, it would help many people and prevent people from getting lightheaded and sick from not eating lunch.
School cafeterias should offer at least one allergy friendly option that does not have gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, or any other common allergen. Buchan agrees with this statement and said, “I understand allergy friendly food is more expensive, but at least have something for people to eat.” It is assumed that salad is a safe food to eat in the cafeteria, but that is wrong. The salad is cross-contaminated with the flatbread they lay on top of it and left over crumbs from croutons since they share serving spoons to put toppings on the salad. The cafeteria should either prevent cross contamination on the salads, or put an option in other lines with grilled chicken or gluten free and dairy free pizza.
This may not affect the majority of the students at Hillgrove, but it will make a huge difference for the people who go hungry at school because they do not have food options. Most allergy friendly food requires cooking, so it is hard enough to bring it to school let alone have it stay at the correct temperature until lunch, or even later if they have sports or extracurricular activities. If the school offered allergy friendly food in the cafeteria, it would help many people and prevent people from getting lightheaded and sick from not eating lunch.
