Aramark Grows Allergen Safety Program to Nearly 90 Universities; Named 2022 Best Overall Food Allergy Program for Universities.
Aramark has been taking a disciplined, multi-tiered approach to safely serving customers with food allergies. By raising awareness, providing accredited training, and advancing the company’s handling and auditing processes at every step from storage to service, guests with food allergies on college campuses can dine safely and have the same positive experiences as their fellow students.
And not only has Aramark Higher Education been growing the list of allergy-friendly campuses on which they operate, recently the team was recognized for its efforts.
Aramark won the AllerTrain™ 2022 award for Best Overall Food Allergy Program for Universities, along with the Best Food Allergy Champion for Universities (Brandon Mathias, Food Safety Specialist, Aramark) and Best Food Allergy Training for Universities (James Madison University/Gillian Kelly, Nutrition Associate Manager, Aramark).
AllerTrain™ is the food allergen accredited training course Aramark employs to make sure its food service staff and managers are equipped to address food allergies across operations. AllerTrain™ was developed by MenuTrinfo®, a nutritional, food allergy consulting company.
“We focus on every step of the supply process to ensure guests with food allergies can dine safely,” said Lara Malatesta, VP, Food Safety and Management Systems, Aramark. “With the right training and resources, our dining location staff members are becoming food allergy advocates.”
Creating Safe Zones on Campus
Researchers estimate that 32 million Americans have food allergies, including 5.6 million children under age 18, or one in 13 children.
Yet young adults like those on college campuses are at an even higher risk for experiencing adverse reactions to food allergies, such as anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening.
“Young adults with food allergies often exhibit behavior that can put them at a higher risk for serious reactions,” said Mathias. “Often, they don’t strictly avoid the foods they are allergic to, and they are less likely to carry epinephrine pens.”
Managing a disciplined and robust food allergy program can be a campus differentiator for families choosing between schools.
From the loading dock to the serving station, Aramark team members are trained to carefully avoid cross-contact with the top eight food allergens—eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat—and the company will incorporate a ninth top allergen, sesame, into the food allergy program in 2023.
Aramark food allergen procedures and information also identify gluten. Gluten intolerance is classified as either an immune disorder or a food intolerance rather than an allergy.
In 2021, Aramark became the largest food service provider to assign accredited, third-party food allergy safety training to managers and associates.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited AllerTrain™ course is required to serve food at all Aramark True Balance℠, Clean Plate, and allgood stations.
Other food allergy training and auditing efforts to date include:
- Nearly 1,700 Aramark employees have been AllerTrain™ Certified
- ANSI-accredited food allergy training is available to all employees at no cost through our learning management system
- There are 49 Certified AllerTrainers (CATs) at Aramark. CATs are allowed to teach and proctor in-person accredited food allergy training for frontline associates.
- There are currently 87 AllerCheck™ certified university locations. AllerCheck is the first-of-its-kind audit for allergen-friendly dining stations. Part of a brand standard for allergen solutions stations, each location must be audited and certified once per semester.
- Aramark hosts food allergy learnings calls across lines of business to review allergen events and highlight best practices.
