Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Food Services Earns Nut-Free Certification, Continues to Make Dining Safer for Those with Food Allergies

Thursday, March 21, 2019, By Keone Weigl
Share
Food Services
Fruit platters prepared at the Commissary.

Fruit platters prepared at the Commissary.

Students with peanut and some tree-nut allergies can feel safer now, more than ever, while eating in Syracuse University’s dining centers. That’s because Food Services’ Production Kitchen and cook chill facility, located in the Commissary, recently became “certified free from”  peanut and tree nut (except coconut) allergens by Kitchens with Confidence (KwC) by MenuTrinfo. KwC is a leading allergen and gluten-free auditing and accreditation firm; the Commissary is where most of the food served on campus is made.

“Food safety is one of our highest concerns, and we continually strive to ensure the safety of our food. Employees are ServSafe trained and we use HACCP [Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point] principles to reduce the risk of hazards in food,” says Jim Ponzi, associate director of production and commissary operations. “The KwC certification is an additional step that we are happy to accommodate to guarantee our students’ well-being.”

Food Services has a robust program to reduce the risk to students with food allergies, including independent verification. Three years ago, Food Services began working to make dining centers safer for students with allergies by eliminating foods with peanuts and tree nuts from its recipes. In January 2018, KwC audited four dining centers to become gluten-free certified. The fifth, Brockway Dining Center, received its gluten-free certification after last summer’s renovation of the facility. It was during the gluten-free certification process that KwC recommended measures Food Services could take to become “certified free from”  peanut and tree nut (except coconut) allergens for the Cook-Chill facility and production kitchen.

Knowing the certification would make the University’s dining program stronger, the Food Services team was driven to meet these recommendations as quickly as possible. Registered dietitian Ruth Sullivan immediately went to work to attain the accreditation by setting up new policies and training staff. Signage was also created to remind all staff of strict policies: thorough hand washing, wearing new gloves and a clean uniform when entering the area, and monitoring equipment in and out of the area.

KwC followed up with an audit of the Cook-Chill facility and Production Kitchen checking 20 main components with over 100 specific critical control points. The assessment included a review of the current policies established for receiving, storage, approving suppliers, manufacturing process, allergen cleaning program, and staff training and education. To earn the status of “certified free from” peanut and tree nut (expect coconut) allergens, the cook chill and production kitchen facilities had to satisfy enough check points to warrant a passing score. In addition, weekly food allergen testing is done by Food Services staff to maintain adherence to guidelines.

This is another step in making sure Food Services serves food that is nutritious, delicious and safe. “We hope that this makes our students with allergies feel more at ease and welcome in our dining centers,” Sullivan says.

  • Author

Keone Weigl

  • Recent
  • NYSCA Grants Awarded to 5 Faculty, 2 Organizations
    Thursday, November 30, 2023, By Diane Stirling
  • $3M Awarded to Hydronic Shell Technologies to Pilot New Building Technology in Syracuse
    Thursday, November 30, 2023, By Emma Ertinger
  • Bedrock of Success: Female Earth and Environmental Sciences Scholars Carry on a Legacy of Mentorship
    Thursday, November 30, 2023, By Dan Bernardi
  • Maxwell Professor Contributes to Wilson Center Report on China’s Foreign Economic Policy
    Thursday, November 30, 2023, By News Staff
  • The Hon. James E. Baker Appointed to US Department of Justice Data Protection Review Court
    Thursday, November 30, 2023, By Robert Conrad

More In Campus & Community

NYSCA Grants Awarded to 5 Faculty, 2 Organizations

Five faculty members have each received $10,000 New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Individual Artist grants to carry out creative projects, including several that have a focus on public service in the arts. NYSCA also awarded a $40,000…

Hendricks Chapel Brings Students Together for Interfaith Service Opportunity  

On a recent Sunday afternoon, students from a range of religious and spiritual identities and traditions gathered at Hendricks Chapel to break bread. Following a meal and time for interfaith conversation, the students traveled to the East Syracuse headquarters of…

Mary E. Graham Appointed Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs in Falk College

Mary E. Graham, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Sport Management, has been named Falk College associate dean of faculty affairs effective Jan. 2, 2024. This newly created leadership position reports to Falk College Dean Jeremy Jordan and is dedicated…

Syracuse University Taps Fran Brown, Nation’s No. 1 Recruiter, to Lead Orange Football

The nation’s top recruiter, a member of the 2022 College Football National Championship coaching staff and a New Jersey native, will soon take the helm of Orange Football. Today, Director of Athletics John Wildhack announced that Fran Brown, currently defensive…

Indigenous Studies Researcher Advises the United Nations on Inequalities in Food Security and Nutrition

Mariaelena Huambachano is an Indigenous scholar, native to Peru, with Quechua ancestry, who also lived for many years in Aotearoa, the Indigenous name for New Zealand. There she completed her undergraduate and graduate studies and formed long-lasting relationships with Māori, the…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.