The school cafeteria is a place where all the students unite together. It’s a stress free environment, full of smiles, laughter, secrets and fun. However, students with dietary needs can find the cafeteria challenging and stressful.
Upon speaking with part of the cafe staff here at Del Val, it was discovered that Maschio’s provides special accommodations for students with specific medical dietary restrictions.
“There is actually a very strict protocol,” cafeteria employee Grace Stearns said. “Your parents get in touch with the office and the nurse, and we get a little alert every time you scan your card…. For a very sensitive and severe allergy, one staff member is trained with how to prepare the food. There is a special bin with all of the cookware, silverware and any of the preparatory materials that we need. It can’t be put through the dishwasher because that water may have one of the triggering allergens in it, so everything would be hand-washed. The staff member that is trained has to wear a special uniform when preparing those foods, and care is taken that way.”
While great strides have been taken, there seems to be a few steps left to becoming an inclusive cafeteria. The food service does not entertain this same protocol for dietary preferences such as diets like gluten free, dairy free, veganism or vegetarianism.
The employee explained that at the end of the day, having alternate options can become expensive and wasteful.
“We had soy milk at the beginning of the year… as an option for creamer, and nobody used it,” Stearns said.
It’s understandable that providing extra food can make things more complex, but for a student on a gluten-free diet, it can be hard to navigate and a bigger voice would be helpful.
More advertisement on what items are available is crucial in making sure food doesn’t go to waste.
There are many students who don’t speak up about their dietary preferences, but if they knew more about what options are available, less food would be wasted.
It’s evident our cafeteria is working in the right direction to becoming an inclusive cafeteria, but there is certainly room for improvement.
“It takes a lot of extra care, but we’re required and we want to feed you guys, and we wanna make sure you’re healthy and you’re happy with what we provide for you guys,” Stearns said.
