Benson’s Recipe for Disaster
The dining hall’s outdated labeling system and cross-contamination prove problematic for those with dietary restrictions
Dining on campus requires immense mental and physical fortitude. There is nothing more daunting than opening the MobileOrder app every day, having to conquer the impossible task of deciding whether to try something new or go with one of the safe but innutritious options.
For those with dietary restrictions, a layer of actual hardship is added–the concern goes past the usual wondering whether your meal will have that signature Benson grossness, and apprehensions about being served wrong or mislabeled orders take on a dimension of genuine risk.
There is a profound difficulty that lies in ordering allergen-free food at Benson. The frequency with which orders are mishandled or improperly identified is sickening considering the potentially life-threatening effects for those with serious allergies.
To give credit where it’s due, Benson’s current labeling system with icons indicating which foods are vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free does help, but it constitutes the bare minimum–on the occasions it works. Many students have experienced instances where items have been incorrectly marked as gluten- or dairy-free.
“I had the orange chicken from Benson, which was labeled as gluten-free but tasted like gluten,” explained Noami Sneath, a sophomore student who is both dairy-free and gluten-free. “I ended up having a reaction to the chicken, which decreased my trust in Benson.”
Those who aren’t vegan but have issues with dairy are limited by Bon Appetit’s neglect to distinguish between what foods do and don’t contain it.
For certain menu items, especially from the pop-ups and eateries that use an assembly-line style to create their meal, students can easily make modifications. But while Benson items are labeled with their ingredients, these are often inaccurate or incomplete, making even the DIY options dangerous.
Benson needs to revamp their ordering system to better accommodate those with allergies and intolerances. A label isn’t the only thing Benson should implement; an option to automatically make your order suit your dietary needs would revolutionize their rather outdated system.
A full ingredient list where you can click a button to take off certain ingredients and a notes option would allow for greater and more effective modifications.
Beyond the ordering system, cross-contamination is a terrifying but common Benson ordeal, especially in the case of Stacks, where workers don’t change their gloves between different types of bread and your sandwich passes through many hands.
Despite some toasters in the salad bar area of Benson being designated as gluten-free, their unattended use causes many students to end up sick.
“The gluten-free toasters are not monitored in any way, and they are self-serve, so there is really a lot of opportunity for cross-contamination,” explained Jordan Nunez, a celiac and owner of the Instagram account @glutenfreescu.
As of right now, Nunez is working closely with Benson to remedy toaster cross-contamination and create more options for the gluten-free population. She encourages asking for a manager in Benson to find dietary solutions for your needs.
Despite all of these obstacles, the mandatory residential dining plan makes Benson the only option for daily meals. Many end up wasting a lot of money if they are not able to use up all the points on the dining plan due to restrictions.
“I simply cannot eat more than roughly 30% of what is offered, so my dining plan was way too much for me to finish within the quarter,” explains Nunez.
Students who are unable to use all their points at the main dining hall must look elsewhere to avoid losing tens or hundreds of dollars.
“I use up all my points, but that’s because I usually spend all my money in the Cellar. Their gluten-free options have really expanded with an aisle set aside for them,” explains Sneath. “However, I would prefer to have some way to not have the meal plan or a rollover of extra money left at the end of the quarter.”
For those forced to be on the dining plan, a secondary option to allow a less costly plan should be offered, especially when options are at best limited and at worst life-threatening at Benson.
Students with dietary restrictions end up as the last priority at Benson. The dining hall needs an extensive upgrade to foster inclusivity for all students.