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Fresh to-go meals are prepared in our allergy-friendly prep space and placed into our MyPantry stations.
The health and safety of our students is our priority. We offer services, resources, and accommodations to students with alternate dietary needs, allergies, and intolerances:
Campus Dining Services does not guarantee the accuracy of nutrition information. Ingredient and nutrition content of foods may vary due to changes in product formulation, recipe substitutions, portion size, and other factors. The nutrition analyses provided here are approximations only. Guests with food allergies or other food intolerances should consult our nutrition team for specific ingredient questions.
Campus Dining Services works to foster a healthy, safe environment for all of our students, including those with food allergies, intolerances, or certain medical conditions. We encourage you to take an active role when dining in any NIU dining hall.
Register a food allergy, intolerance, or other medically-based dietary need:
For other nutrition related inquiries, Ask our nutrition team a question online.
When you build your meal with MyDining, you'll see the following icons next to different types of foods. Menu items are marked with the icon when they contain the allergen. Select an icon below to learn more about it.
Food items marked with contain an ingredient with an Allergen Caution Label (ACL). Refer to the ingredient list of the menu item for specific details. Examples of ACLs include "may contain" and "manufactured on shared equipment" statements. It is important to know that the use of ACLs by food manufacturers is voluntary and communicates that there is a possibility of an unintended presence of an allergen in the food. It is up to you to make your own risk assessment and to decide whether or not to consume the food.
Items marked with the egg icon contain ingredients made with egg and/or egg derivatives.
Egg allergies are fairly common and usually are the result of an adverse reaction to the protein in egg whites or egg yolks. In some cases, egg allergies are not restricted to chicken eggs, but can also produce a reaction to goose, duck, turkey, or quail eggs.
Eggs are found in a number of foods, including:
If you have an egg allergy, be sure to check the ingredient lists and allergen icons when visiting our dining venues because eggs may be hidden in foods.
Our daily menus commonly offer egg-free entrees on a rotating basis:
Items marked with the fish icon contain ingredients made with fish and/or fish derivatives.
Unlike other allergies, fish allergies may not present until adulthood. If you have allergies to finned fish, you will not necessarily have allergies to shellfish. For this reason, you should avoid items with the Fish icon in our dining venues and on our website.
In addition to fish dishes, fish is also found in:
Items marked with the milk and dairy icon contain ingredients made with milk and/or milk derivatives.
Milk and dairy are one of the most common food allergies and are usually the result of a reaction to the protein found in milk. For some people, the consumption of foods that have been heated or cooked does not produce a reaction because of the changes that occur in the milk proteins that takes place when cooking milk and dairy. Other individuals may not have an allergy to dairy, but may have a lactose intolerance. A dairy allergy produces a negative immune system response, while a lactose intolerance is the result of the lack of ability to digest the sugar in milk, lactose. Symptoms of lactose intolerance present as digestive problems, such as diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, and abdominal gas.
If you have a milk allergy or are lactose intolerant you should avoid foods with the Milk/Dairy icon that contain cow's milk and dairy. Common foods that contain milk/dairy are:
Our daily menus commonly offer milk and dairy-free entrees on a rotating basis:
If you have a lactose intolerance or milk allergy, dietary deficiencies, especially calcium deficiency, can be a concern. If you have eliminated dairy or milk from your diet, you can eat other naturally high-calcium foods and calcium-fortified foods to ensure an adequate amount of calcium in your diet.
Our dining venues regularly offer high-calcium foods (more than 10% recommended daily value), such as:
View the calcium content of foods on MyDining by selecting each food item to view its nutrition label.
Items marked with the peanut icon contain ingredients made with peanuts and/or peanut derivatives.
Peanut allergies are fairly common and can result in a serious anaphylaxis reaction. Peanuts are in the legume family and are not a tree nut. For this reason, if you have a peanut allergy, you should avoid items with the Peanuts icon in our dining venues and on our website.
Common foods containing peanuts that we serve are:
Items marked with the sesame icon contain ingredients made with sesame and/or sesame derivatives.
Sesame is the ninth most common food allergy in the United States. Most people with specific food protein allergies can safely eat the highly refined oil from their allergen (such as highly refined soybean oil). However, sesame oil is not highly refined and should be avoided by those who are allergic to sesame.
Common foods containing sesame that we may serve are:
Items marked with the shellfish icon contain ingredients made with shellfish and/or shellfish derivatives.
Within the shellfish family, the crustacean group (shrimp, lobster, and crab) causes the greatest number of allergic reactions. Many shellfish-allergic people can tolerate mollusks (scallops, oysters, clams, and mussels).
Common foods containing shellfish that we serve are:
Items marked with the soy icon contain ingredients made with soy and/or soy derivatives.
Soy allergies are the result an adverse immune reaction to soybeans, which are a member of the legume family.
Common foods containing soy that we serve are:
Items marked with the tree nuts icon contain ingredients made with tree nuts and/or tree nut derivatives.
Tree nuts, such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, and more, are a common allergy that may produce a serious anaphylaxis reaction.
Common foods containing tree nuts that we serve are:
Please be aware that sesame, sesame‐containing ingredients, coconut and coconut‐containing ingredients are not identified as a tree nut.
Items marked with the wheat icon use ingredients that contain wheat and/or wheat derivatives such as triticale and bulgur.
Our daily menus commonly offer entrees free of wheat on a rotating basis:
Other options include utilizing the Custom Creations bars to build your own dish and some items on the salad and fruit bar. Gluten-free bread, gluten-free tortillas, and gluten-free buns are available by request at the deli and grill, as well as at MyPantry.
Dining staff receive training in food safety and sanitation, allowing them to be informed on safe food practices. Each venue is equipped with gluten-friendly cookware and utensils and has designated gluten-friendly preparation areas.
Our daily menus commonly offer gluten-friendly entrees on a rotating basis:
Other options include utilizing the Custom Creations bars to build your own dish and some items on the salad and fruit bar. Gluten-free bread, gluten-free tortillas, and gluten-free buns are available by request at the deli and grill, as well as at MyPantry.
Dining staff receive training in food safety and sanitation, allowing them to be informed on safe food practices. Each venue is equipped with gluten-friendly cookware and utensils, and has designated gluten-friendly preparation areas.
On our menus, items with the Healthy Huskie label have met specific nutrient guidelines developed by our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Learn more about Healthy Huskie items.
Our dining units offer a selection of vegan products on a daily basis. Each meal has either a vegetarian entrée or a vegan entrée. Everyday vegan options include:
When eliminating animal products from your diet, adequate protein intake may be a concern. High-protein non-animal product foods that we offer on a daily basis are:
High-protein non-animal product foods that we offer on a rotating basis are:
View the protein content of foods on MyDining by selecting each food item to view its nutrition label.
Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin that is only found in animal product foods and fortified non-animal product foods. For this reason, vegans have to be particularly aware to acquire adequate vitamin B12 from dietary sources and/or dietary supplements. Fortified items include cereals, soy milk, and meat substitutes.
Our dining venues offer a selection of vegetarian products on a daily basis. Each meal has either a vegetarian entrée or a vegan entrée. Vegetarian options include:
Look for Vegetarian items in MyDining by selecting each food item to view its nutrition label.
When eliminating animal products from the diet, adequate protein intake may be a concern. High-protein non-animal product foods that we offer on a daily basis are:
High-protein non-animal product foods that we offer on a rotating basis are:
View the protein content of foods on MyDining by selecting each food item to view its nutrition label.
Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin that is only found in animal product foods and fortified non-animal product foods. For this reason, vegetarians have to be particularly aware to acquire adequate vitamin B12 from dietary sources and/or dietary supplements. Fortified items include cereals, soy milk, and meat substitutes.