By Ryan Harrington, Contributor
This semester Canisius students returned to the Old Main Market to see that all the shelves of the gluten-free section were torn out over break, leaving an empty chasm. This – combined with other losses – is a continued reduction in food offerings around campus that began when Chartwells had their contract renewed. Unfortunately, the brunt of this reduction has been especially felt by students with dietary restrictions.
Two semesters ago, The Market regularly stocked gluten-free necessities like granola bars and breakfast muffins along with the occasional treat like a brownie or rice-crispy bar. However, this fall, The Market replaced the entire gluten-free stock with Quaker rice cakes. As of this week, the market no longer carries these either.
When asked, the workers at The Market said they were instructed to disassemble the dedicated section but were not told why. They stated that the ‘gluten-free’ products will instead be mixed with the regular stock. This is unacceptable for a few reasons. First, there are no dedicated gluten-free products to spread around. Second, gluten often hides in unexpected products: oat-based granola bars, licorice, cereal, Pepsi (but not Coke), soy sauce, sushi and many brands of chips. While not made from flour, these products use it as a binding or coloring agent. Without a dedicated section, it’s more difficult for students to tell what’s safe because unlike dairy, it’s impossible to make judgment calls about gluten. Worse, without a dedicated section to appear empty there’s no incentive or reminder for the Market to stock these products.
A few years from now, nobody will remember the dedicated section, and The Market won’t even need to pretend to offer gluten-free products.
A chosen diet would not diminish the school’s responsibility, but I am not gluten-free by choice. I cannot eat gluten and if I do I will get very sick. The school has a responsibility to make a good-faith effort to provide for me. I don’t expect a great selection, but I do expect one or two reliable products. I understand with rising costs it can be difficult to make ends meet, but when deciding which products to offer, the school should consider that if you stop carrying one brand of chips, the general body will find another to eat; but if you stop carrying a gluten-free product, I can’t eat anything.
This incompetence is not specific to The Market; in fact, the options at most food locations around campus are scant. In the dining hall, Canisius boasts a large island counter that is meant to be dietary restriction-friendly. Whenever I have been in the dining hall, the only gluten-free option they have in this large expanse of emptiness is a basket of gluten-free rolls. If the meal does go with a roll, then I’m out of luck.
As Canisius switched to a ‘swipe’ model, meals are not a la carte. I pay the same amount as everyone else for fewer options. Often, the employee at the door isn’t knowledgeable about the gluten-free offerings, so I have to pay before I even know if there’s going to be anything to eat. Workers at the individual stations are also unclear about ingredients.
French fries are typically gluten-free, but if they're breaded or seasoned with flour, I can’t eat them. I’ve seen both in the dining hall and always have to guess. Fries aren’t a necessity, but when the only other option is the salad bar, I like to be able to have them.
The dining hall’s worst offense is that they keep regular gluten-containing desserts on the gluten-free counter! Next to the basket of gluten-free rolls, there’s usually a tray of various types of gluten-containing cookies. On one occasion, I accidentally ate an oatmeal raisin cookie that contained wheat and got very sick. This product was not marked as containing gluten.
If Chartwells is hellbent on keeping gluten-containing foods in the designated gluten-free area, they should at least mark them appropriately.
Seems like it’s only a matter of time before Chartwells decides to spread the gluten-free options around the dining hall instead of having a dedicated section. Right now, the only recourse we have is the potential of a useless survey coming out in a few weeks.
If you’re not gluten-sensitive, you probably hardly realize these losses – this makes people with dietary restrictions an easy target, and we don’t have the numbers to make enough noise to keep these accommodations. Next time you’re in the dining hall, consider the gluten-free options and consider encouraging the school to carry more.
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