Any parents of corn allergy college students willing to share advice?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I have been through the college process with D, but will be needing a different strategy in a couple years with my S who is allergic to corn and peanuts. </p>

<p>Peanut allergy seems to be pretty straightforward for our family, since they are a labeled allergen, and my S’s peanut allergy is not life and death, but a sensitivity that only causes small rash.</p>

<p>Corn and corn derivatives are in everything, and we are adept at providing substitute food for summer camp and weekend church retreats. But I am looking at 4 years of College? I am hoping there are parents who have navigated these waters and are willing to share practical details.</p>

<p>I have questions about how/when to approach dining services employees. Do I “pre-screen” colleges before we ever go to visit? Or if we don’t mention allergies till after acceptances, what happens if the “dream school” can’t deliver on food issues?</p>

<p>My son is comfortable with being “different”, and seems to be willing to advocate for himself. But you would need a complete ingredient list for every single item in the dining hall to know a food is safe to eat.</p>

<p>For those reading this who aren’t familiar with corn, it is protected by the large corn industry lobbyists from being required to be listed as an allergen in food labeling. A stack of cheese slices might have corn starch sprinkled between each layer of cheese to prevent sticking, but you won’t find “corn starch” listed as an ingredient because it is not actually part of the cheese product. Just like with pre-shredded cheese, which is mixed with cornstarch to prevent clumping.</p>

<p>Although I appreciate all parents who are trying to be helpful, I really am looking specifically for parents of students who have a corn allergy who are attending college.</p>

2

<p>You and he should definitely ask questions to the college dining services before finalizing the application lists. Also consider what off-campus housing and dining options are available at each college if the dorm dining services are unable to accommodate students with corn allergies.</p>

3

<p>Just wanted to say make sure he signs the privacy releases so he’s not stuck in a hospital somewhere with no way for the school to notify you (there was a post on this site where the same happened).</p>

4

<p>At my old school, umich, they had an online menu system and any student could click on any food item and get a complete list of ingredients. It is not as unreasonable as you might think, I would call the schools and ask if such a thing is available.</p>

5

<p>I would start with the director of food services to see how your son can be accommodated. He/she will be able to direct you to the right person to talk to. Best to do this before applying. It is better to see how willing they are to help before accepting.</p>

<p>My daughter also have similar (but not corn) issues with many foods including sulfates (also not always required to be listed on label). Basically, she can not eat at the dining halls. We had prepared her to cook all her own food. To be honest, this was unrealistic on our part. Luckily after talking to the school, they offer to prepare her custom meals at no additional cost that only had food that we knew was safe. Between that and supplying her with food we prepared she has survived but did lose a lot of weight,</p>

<p>You will have to educate the staff. It is amazing that they know so little about what is hidden in food. They rely on labels and generally did not understand about hidden ingredients. They did end up ordering special supplies such as fresh eggs for her. We have had some issues but we are making it work. </p>

<p>A friend at the same school could not make it work. The school tried to prepare specialize meals but it didn’t work out due to cross contamination issues. He had to take a medical leave. He ended up getting a freezer for the dorm room and preparing meals at home and freezing them.</p>

<p>One thing that is hard to do is to have a realistic view if what your son can do based on his maturity level and willingness to be vigilant about what he eats. Your son will have to advocate for himself with the dining staff when things go wrong. He will also have to be careful about cross contamination.</p>

6

<p>Noname, thanks for your reply. In your family’s college search, did you contact a number of food service directors? Was there a wide range of responses to your lessen known allergy?</p>

<p>Did your daughter spend a lot of time and energy on a daily basis her first year educating and reeducating the front line staff about her allergy and the details of preparing her food?</p>

<p>I find, as I speak with food service people about summer camp or a church retreat, that they are misinformed and we have to continue to educate both the management and the front line staff on my son’s allergies. The recent surge in gluten free foods is great for others, but awful for my son, since the wheat is most likely replaced with a corn ingredient. So the staff will say “oh, we know all about allergies, we have a whole menu of gluten free items”. And I have to educate them about hidden corn.</p>

7

<p>Definitely contact the head of dining services. D1 is gluten-intolerant and spoke w dietician and manager of dining hall a month into freshman year and they were very accommodating. She has a classmate who is gluten-intolerant and corn allergic and seemed to fare OK. </p>

<p>Her school had special frozen gluten-free meals (stuffed shells, manicotti, and mac.cheese) they would cook to order, as well as gluten free pizza. I believe most of these were rice based pastas and did not contain corn. </p>

<p>You might also request they stock specific products. This is D1s favorite bread (we get at Costco) and it’s also corn-free:</p>

<p>[Multigrain</a> | Rudi’s Bakery](<a href=“Organic & Gluten-Free Bread | Boulder, CO | Rudi's Bakery”>Gluten Free Homestyle Multigrain - Rudi's)</p>

<p>Surprisingly, this is a big state school, but we were very happy with how they handled it. Also, most dining halls have large salad bars that are also stocked with plenty of tuna, chicken and egg salad, as well as hard-boiled eggs.</p>

8

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<p>As a parent, this would be very scary! I think I would put my child’s food preparation in their own hands. The possibility of cross contamination would just not be a risk I’d be willing to take.</p>

<p>I would check to see if your S can opt out of a meal plan.</p>

9

<p>I would wait until he is accepted and has chosen a school. Personally, I think that kids with health issues or other special needs should not base school decisions on those special needs. They have a right to choose a school on factors like location, size, academics and “vibe” just like anyone else. Honestly, that is a true civil right.</p>

<p>At the same time, I can assure you that a school will comply with this need. They are obligated to by law, and they know it. In our experience at three different schools, the director of food services, the head chef, the dean and any other people who might be involved, are only too happy to meet and come up with a plan.</p>

<p>Most schools seem to be very informed and will understand the concept of hidden ingredients. This is a big part of their job. I would not expect a summer camp or retreat to be as knowledgeable as college food services staff.</p>

<p>Most dining services will make food to order, and your son can order it in advance, often by e-mail, or by phone. They can also order food supplies that meet your son’s needs, such as bread without corn ingredients, cereals, pasta, rice or whatever else he wants.</p>

<p>It is a good idea to have a fridge w/freezer and possibly microwave available, either in the room or in a dorm kitchen, for those times when he needs to eat and doesn’t have any other option, either because he has missed meal time or for some reason doesn’t find food available in the dining hall that is convenient and safe. But legally, he should always have something to eat, provided by the meal plan.</p>

<p>Every school is different. Some have menus available online for each day, with ingredients, some with ingredients at the dining hall, but that won’t solve the problem of hidden ingredients. I am sure the staff will be open to any education you can offer, and your son can also watch out for himself.</p>

<p>Does he have anaphylaxis with corn? They will be afraid of liability. They may say he can be exempt from the food plan, which is not really a good accommodation, and it is a way for them to avoid compliance. Your son has a right to a meal plan just like anyone else, and they should accommodate him. There are, in fact, social benefits from eating meals in the dining hall that he should be able to enjoy.</p>

<p>I would not be overly anxious about this as he applies, or talk about it much at all. Let him have a “normal” experience while applying to schools, if possible, whatever “normal” is!</p>

<p>I will PM you too.</p>

10

<p>p.s. I would make sure to register your son at the disabilities office as well, with documentation of his allergies and information on hidden ingredients. Give written info to the dining staff and anyone else involved. Requests in writing tend to bring more compliance.</p>