Balance Café on California Polytechnic State University’s campus is officially “Certified Free From™” the top 8 food allergens and gluten.
FORT COLLINS, CO. (March 18, 2020) – California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, recently passed a rigorous audit by Kitchens with Confidence™. The audit, completed in February of 2021, is an in-depth look into their kitchen operations at a café on campus to ensure that guests with food allergies are served safely. Balance Café is now “Certified Free From™” gluten and the top eight allergens (egg, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts (except coconut), and wheat).
The campus dining team at Cal Poly has developed a comprehensive approach to supporting students with food allergies and special dietary considerations. This approach includes access to registered dietitians, offering a variety of allergen-free grocery items at the markets, and adding a café on campus completely dedicated to providing allergen-free meals.
Students and staff dining on campus have hundreds of options available from the 21 distinctive venues and three on-campus markets. Balance Café is a unique venue at Cal Poly that prepares meals completely free from the top eight allergens and gluten. The café is completely self-contained and has its own dedicated kitchen, cold storage, and cook and serve ware along with a specially trained team.
“Each year we see a growing number of students who are looking for healthful, delicious, allergen-free meal and snack options to help them live a healthy, more sustainable lifestyle or to support a dietary restriction,” Campus Dining Registered Dietitian Kelsey McCourt said. “We are constantly researching and studying trends to ensure that all of our students have access to the nutritional support that they need to succeed.”
Kitchens with Confidence™ performed a thorough investigation of Balance Café earlier this year. Their primary goals were to ensure all areas from loading dock to tabletop are completely safe and double check that all policies and procedures are sufficient in safely serving guests. Cal Poly’s dining team did an exceptional job and passed with flying colors.
“Throughout our work with the Cal Poly team, it is evident that they want to provide the safest possible dining experience for their students. This was exemplified during their audit where we observed all of the pieces and parts that have gone into such a successful program.” Said Claire Peacock, VP of Product Fulfilment at MenuTrinfo®. “We are so happy to add Cal Poly to our list of Certified Free From™ university dining spaces and are happy to break into California with this exceptional school. We feel confident that we can rest easy knowing that students and staff have a best-in-class dining option on campus.”
In addition to their new certification, the campus dining at Cal Poly is taking measures to ensure their employees are properly trained. This audit was a comprehensive review of 41 main components with over 125 specific critical control points. These incredible measures Cal Poly is going to in order to keep students safe while dining on campus makes them stand out in the world of university food service.
“Working with the Kitchens with Confidence team was a very simple experience that allowed our team a chance to step back and recognize all that we do to ensure every student has easy access to healthful meals and snacks no matter their dietary needs or restrictions,” Campus Dining Registered Dietitian Kelsey McCourt said. “This certification will help to further our commitment as we continue to adapt to meet our customers evolving dietary needs.”
About MenuTrinfo®, LLC
MenuTrinfo® is dedicated to bettering the food-service industry by providing three major services: Certified Nutritionals and food allergy/ gluten-free identification under the MenuTrinfo brand, food safety and allergen/gluten-free training known as AllerTrain™, and full-service kitchen audits for facilities and products known as “Certified Free From ™” by Kitchens with Confidence™.
So, whether you need help with menu labeling, identifying menu items containing allergens or gluten, learning how to serve customers with food allergies or intolerances, or are looking to certify your kitchen free from some of the top allergens or gluten, MenuTrinfo® is here to help! Start at www.MenuTrinfo.com to find information on all our services. MenuTrinfo®: Protecting lives and health through nutrition and training.
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