Kins Dining implements new FAST pantry, provides allergen-free food

With allergies to peanuts, tree nuts and mango, among others, public health sophomore Cameron Farley always has to be careful with what she eats. During her freshman year, her roommate carried an emergency EpiPen when they ate at the Kins Dining, where Farley felt limited in her food options.

“I do appreciate how they display the allergens,” Farley said. “Sometimes I feel like that wasn’t enough. … If there’d be mangoes next to something I wanted to eat, I would have to avoid that food item because I can’t eat it, and they don’t have that many allergens listed.”

Beginning this semester, however, Kins Dining opened the FAST pantry, which offers allergen-free food for students like Farley.

The FAST pantry is a separate room inside the dining hall, located ahead of the entrance. Inside the room are ready-to-eat meals that do not contain the top nine most common allergens, such as peanuts, gluten and sesame, said Emily Shackleton, a registered dietitian in University Housing and Dining.

Shackleton said students can sign up by emailing a UHD-registered dietitian and, from there, go through a short process to be able to enter the FAST pantry using their student IDs.

“They’ll receive a follow-up email with a direct link to the mandatory FAST pantry training, which takes them about two minutes to complete,” Shackleton said. “It also includes an acknowledgment statement, basically stating that they’ll use the FAST pantry appropriately and safely.”

This is not the first time University dining halls have made efforts to accommodate students with allergies. In 2016, J2 Dining Hall opened a separate line with allergen-free food named the FAST line, which is still open.

“We are just trying to serve as many students as we can,” Shackleton said. “Now they have two options on both sides of campus.”

Farley said she wishes the opportunity had been advertised sooner so students with allergies like hers could receive the allergen-free food earlier. However, she plans to sign up to use the FAST pantry.

“I think that’s really smart, and it’s good for myself, but also others who have maybe more severe allergies,” Farley said. “It’s a good place for them to go and feel comfortable, because I remember sometimes I wouldn’t always feel comfortable eating even things that aren’t listed as allergens for me.”