Sodexho: Gluten Free or Not?

eI don't have much time for an entry, since this weekend's to do list is huge. However, since I just took the time to write this, I figured I would post it. After all, most likely it's never going to see the light of day otherwise.

Yesterday, an article ran about eating gluten free at Binghamton University. Impressive, huh? Apparently Sodexho is right on top of this...

But wait... is this the same Sodexho that I have right here at my school that can't seem to have even one gluten free option other than salad during lunch on most days? Yes. It is.

When I was looking at schools, I was told Sodexho would take care of me, but whoever told me that had no clue what happens at little schools. So I sent the following letter to the news team that did the story:

Dear News Team,

Thank you very much for doing a story about students with Celiac Disease. As a student who has been dealing with this problem since I was 17, I have really appreciated the attention on school cafeterias that cater to food intolerances and allergies.

I am a bit worried, however, about the insinuation that Sodexho is a company that accommodates food intolerances and allergies. This is not really the case, although I was led to believe this as well. I currently attend a small liberal arts college that also has Sodexho dining. Although I have had some help from individual staff members, overall my experience has been less than satisfactory. In the article, you say "[Having a variety of gluten free dishes is] nice because it's easy for someone who's GF to fall into an eating rut, because they know certain things are safe to eat." I had to pick myself out of this rut, with very little help, after eating almost nothing but salad at the dining hall for two years. Also, smaller dining halls do not have designated gluten free areas, so anything could be contaminated. A friend with nut allergies cannot eat in the dining hall on any day that they have prepared a food with nuts (which is almost always). On top of that, many schools require students to have a meal plan, especially smaller schools where this seems to be the biggest problem.

Now that I am a senior and am living in an apartment with a kitchen, I feel much better. I am eating a larger variety of foods, and I am far less likely to become sick. It would be great if you could encourage entering freshmen to look very carefully into campus dining, gluten free options, and the ease of cooking for yourself as a student. I love my small college, so I hate to say this, but it may be necessary for those of us with dietary restrictions to go to larger schools.

Thank you again.