Food Allergies
Davidson College dedicates exceptional service and memorable meals to every guest, including unique food preferences. Guests with food allergies and dietary restrictions are welcome to enjoy fresh food fit to meet their needs.
Learn Your Options with a Registered Dietitian
Not only is our goal to have plentiful options for all at our locations, but we also want to empower students with direct tools and resources to make safe choices. We encourage students to actively manage their food needs and diet to promote a nutritional lifestyle!
Our Registered Dietitians welcome any student in need of dietary guidance to schedule a private consultation. This may include tours of dining locations to help establish what foods are safe, and meetings with chefs or managers to determine points of contact for the student.
Getting Started
Notify Davidson College of your food allergies or dietary needs.
- First-year and transfer students can indicate food allergies or dietary needs on their incoming health form.
- Current students may schedule a private consultation with our Registered Dietitians to discuss their dietary needs.
Dietary Dining Information
- Dining Services takes great pride in training all staff on the importance of food allergies and dietary restrictions with our ServSafe Allergen and Food Handlers Training.
- Students refer to the digital e-menu board, available at Vail Commons, or the available ingredient list at other locations, to determine the safety of the food.
- The Commons Market, the on-campus convenience store located in Vail Commons, offers many allergy-friendly products.
- Students are welcome to ask team members to change gloves and utensils when they are served.
- Vail Commons, The Commons Market, Davis Café, Qdoba, and Wildcat Den offer vegan and vegetarian options. Vail Commons features a full salad bar, plant-based and made without gluten entrees and milk alternatives.
- Chefs and managers are available to help students with food and recipe inquiries at any time.
- In certain situations, menu items may need to be prepared individually to meet students’ dietary needs. Please contact our Registered Dietitians to review your diet prescription plan. If a student needs a specially prepared meal, they may email vailchefs@davidson.edu 24 hours in advance of the desired meal.
- Students are encouraged to always carry any necessary medications with them. Students may also share medical needs information and medication location with others who typically dine with them in case of emergency.
Food Allergens & Intolerances
Although Dining Services locations prepare food in open kitchens where cross-contact with allergen foods may occur, we take great lengths to accommodate every student’s needs, including food allergies. We gather our information from the ingredient lists on the packaging.
Canola oil is used to fry foods and all fried foods on campus are susceptible to cross-contamination. If a student has a food allergy or is concerned about cross-contamination, they are advised to avoid all fried foods at our locations.
Davidson College is not a nut-free campus, though all Dining Services locations do not use nuts as an ingredient in any cooking production. It is possible that ingredients used may have trace amounts of nuts due to being processed in facilities that contain nuts. Prepackaged items containing nuts such as sealed peanut butter cups, prepackaged peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, snack bars, candy, nut mixes, almond milk, and coconut milk are found at our locations. Students can determine whether a food is safe to enjoy by reading food labels and dietary information. We offer SunButter, a sunflower seed butter, as a delicious alternative!
Students are encouraged to refer to ingredient lists to identify dairy in recipes. We offer many dairy alternatives and lactose-free milks at Dining Services locations. We also feature a 100 percent plant-based station, Power Plant, in Vail Commons that is free of dairy!
While Vail Commons is not a gluten-free facility, it is our largest on-campus dining option that best accommodates wheat and gluten allergies or intolerances. Vail Commons dedicates a preparation area for made without gluten menu options, as well as a service area. Made without gluten is a phrase used to describe foods made without gluten product, but prepared in a facility that is not gluten-free.
Gluten-free bread and cereals are also available in separate sections of the location. Davis Café, Qdoba and Wildcat Den also offer mouth-watering made without gluten menu items!
Shellfish is found occasionally on a menu item at Vail Commons. Sushi is freshly made and offered at Davis Café and can also be found at The Commons Market. Students are encouraged to read location ingredients lists, as shellfish will always be identified.
In Vail Commons, fish is commonly found as a main ingredient or menu item. Fish is also occasionally fried. Be mindful that fried foods on campus are susceptible to cross-contamination. Students with fish allergies are advised to avoid fried foods. Sushi is freshly made and offered at Davis Café and can also be found at Commons Market.
Eggs are used in some cooking production at all Dining Services locations. Students are encouraged to check the menu and ingredient lists. The Power Plant station is completely vegan and made without gluten, which means free of eggs! At least one vegan dessert is always offered at Vail Commons, as well.
We use canola oil to fry food and olive or canola oil in recipe production. Tofu, tempeh and edamame are found on menus. Students with soy allergies are encouraged to check recipe ingredient lists and food labels of packaged foods.
Sesame is found in many foods on campus. Students with a sesame allergy are encouraged to check the menu and ingredient lists before enjoying the food.
| Pinky Varghese Director of Dining Services pivarghese@davidson.edu 704-894-2076 |
Elizabeth Allred Registered Dietitian elallred@davidson.edu 704-894-2071 |
Julie Whittington Registered Dietitian juwhittington@davidson.edu 704-894-2300 |