The University of Winchester has always adopted a proactive approach when providing for their students, staff and visitors. This has won them several awards over the years, especially in relation to their sustainability policies. When the new food allergy labelling regulations were about to come into force, David Morton, Catering Manager at the University decided to be a trail blazer and set the standard for other Universities to follow.
Inclusive policy for students with special dietary requirements
The aim was to provide an inclusive policy for students with special dietary requirements to ensure they felt safe in their environment and guaranteeing they always have a choice.
In conjunction with the Food Allergy Training Consultancy the University has adapted its menus, reviewed and trained all food handlers to CIEH, Level 2 Food Allergy Aware certification standard. Because of this, the Food Allergy Training Consultancy has awarded the University of Winchester a Gold Standard ‘Certificate of Achievement’ By investing in their staff and resources the University ensures they can provide not only a safe meal, but a positive dining experience for the food allergy, food intolerant and coeliac customer.
The University actively promotes their allergen policy at student open days, events and on their website including a dedicated email address to contact the catering team with any requests and concerns they may have. For the last two years the University has also supported the Anaphylaxis Campaign on their Orange Wig Day to actively highlight the issues of severe allergic reactions.
Ensuring that Free From food is not just an afterthought
David Morton, Catering Manager at the University stated:
“The University of Winchester catering team has always taken its role in food service seriously; whether it is ensuring that we only use ethical meat in our recipes, support local suppliers and producers in sustainable practices, or providing a diverse choice for those from different cultural and religious backgrounds.
“At the outset we wrongly believed, like most caterers, that we had a good knowledge and understanding of the main allergens. However, it became clear that we had just touched the surface, literally. When we learnt about potential cross-contamination through deep fat fryers, clothing and incorrect storage methods, not to mention obscure allergens such as sulphur dioxide or lupin, we knew it was crucially important to get it right every time.
“We now treat our allergen based food very differently, in fact much like we treat raw meat and cooked meat, completely separately. Thereby, ensuring that when they finally come together for a dish we can accurately state the ingredients for our “free from” customers
“The training that Caroline Benjamin and her team provided has been invaluable to us. It ensures that we now not only better understand the needs of customers, but by developing new allergen ideas and recipes we can ensure that Free From food is an option and not just an afterthought.”
Caroline Benjamin added:
“This is a great achievement by the University and shows their commitment to inclusivity to all their customers no matter what their dietary requirements.”
About Food Allergy Training Consultancy (FATC)
Caroline Benjamin is intolerant to gluten and dairy and based in Hampshire. Over the last 14 years, her experiences of eating out have resulted in minimal choice, high costs and a lack of knowledge on the consequences of serving food containing allergens. This, combined with the major changes to food laws, has seen Caroline establish herself as a ‘one-stop-shop’ on all things food allergy related. As a result she created the Food Allergy Training Consultancy to help food businesses and venues improve their product offering and knowledge, and prepare for major changes to EU food labelling legislation.
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