RPI nutritionist recognized for addressing food allergies

Kimberly Mayer, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), recently received the Allertrain 2018 Best Food Allergy Innovation for Universities award. The award recognizes individuals who make exceptional efforts to meet the needs of students with food allergies and intolerances, celiac disease, and other special dietary needs.

Mayer, who has been an RDN for 15 years, joined RPI in 2014 as the campus dietitian. She regularly meets one-on-one with students to develop customized meal plans that meet their unique dietary needs. She is also a master trainer with Allertrain and leads the food allergy training program for the entire campus dining team.

“Working as the campus registered dietitian at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has opened my eyes to the importance of providing a safe and inclusive environment for students with special dietary needs,” Mayer explains. “Each year, the number of students diagnosed with food allergies has grown exponentially, which has shifted my focus to food allergy education and expanding our programs.”

Under her guidance, RPI has made great strides toward addressing food allergies and special dietary needs on campus. RPI was one of the first college campuses in the country to stock epinephrine pens in dining halls and the first in New York to complete Allertrain’s epinephrine emergency training program. It was also the first campus to introduce MyZone, a secured room in the dining hall that functions as a pantry for ingredients that are free of some of the most common food allergens, including tree nuts, peanuts, and gluten. RPI also features Simple Servings, an award-winning station in the resident dining hall that offers dishes free of seven of the most common food allergens.

In addition to these programs, Mayer instituted a color-coded kitchen wares system at all campus dining locations to prevent cross-contamination with common food allergens. Purple pots, pans, cutting boards, knives, and gloves are used to prepare allergen-friendly food and keep it free of contaminants. She also worked with the dining team to eliminate the use of peanuts and tree nuts in the four main campus dining halls and developed new protocols for handling food substitutions from vendors.

The efforts at RPI have included a concentrated focus on educating students about dining options and enabling them to make informed food choices. Allergen identifiers on RPI’s mobile ordering system and recipes containing lists of ingredients posted at each station in the dining hall help guests choose the dishes that are right for them. Bite, a unique mobile dining application, also provides easily accessible information regarding menus, ingredients, allergens, and nutrition content.

RPI’s campus dining program is managed by Sodexo, one of the largest private employers of registered dietitians in the country. Sodexo’s vast network of registered dietitians offer support and guidance at hundreds of the company’s client sites in North America, which include schools, universities, healthcare facilities, corporate offices, senior care facilities, and more.

Allertrain is a proprietary training program accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Designed to train foodservice personnel in restaurants, schools, and universities, the program teaches employees about the most common food allergens and shows them how to eliminate cross-contact with allergens when preparing food, helping them avoid food allergy related incidents. Allertrain also trains foodservice employees on how to address allergic reactions, should they occur.

Allertrain was developed by MenuTrinfo, which focuses on helping companies and organizations engaged in food service navigate the intricacies of allergen identification and management, nutrition analysis, and food labelling. The company guides organizations in creating menus, policies, and procedures that ensure safety and meet the needs of guests who have food allergies and intolerances.

In addition to this award, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been recognized in Allergic Living magazine and is listed on the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) College Search.

Mayer says she plans to find new ways of supporting students’ needs in the future.

“I spend time talking to our students and their families so they understand that we take their needs seriously and we are committed to keeping them safe and healthy,” said Mayer. “I am committed to looking for new and innovative ways to enhance our food allergy program so that we are better today than we were yesterday.”