ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The burden of dietary restrictions includes the high cost and limited availability of allergen-friendly products which disproportionately impacts people with food insecurity. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to better understand access to allergen-friendly food college students experiencing food-insecurity with food allergies or other diet-treated conditions by surveying college campus food pantries. METHODS: 120 randomly selected United States colleges/universities were recruited to complete FOODiversity's Food Insecurity Questionnaire about campus food pantry operations, dietary restrictions, and food-insecurity initiatives, and provide details about their resources and training dedicated to supporting food-insecure young adults who avoid a specific food(s). RESULTS: Forty-eight percent of respondents ask students about dietary restrictions at food pantry intake, 37% track the number of patrons with restrictions, 30% process allergen-friendly product requests, 17% train staff about dietary restrictions, and 4% modify processes to accommodate dietary restrictions. Of the 48% who inquire about dietary restrictions, follow-up interventions vary in levels of accommodation. Dairy-free and gluten-free products are most commonly requested, and gluten-free products are the most donated/stocked and most difficult to accommodate. CONCLUSION: Food pantries play a critical role in reducing the burden experienced by food-insecure individuals, however, most pantries are unable to provide sufficient accommodations for clients with food allergies or other diet-treated conditions, including staff training, provision of allergen-friendly products, or identifying food-insecure college students with dietary restrictions; and promoting food allergy safety and nutritional impacts.
