Purdue students have a new option for allergen-free dining thanks to the addition of SafeBytes at Hillenbrand Dining Court.

At SafeBytes, Boilermakers can dine on meals that do not contain any of the top nine allergens identified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy and sesame. Every meal served at SafeBytes is prepared and served within the station and will include an entrée, side, vegetable and dessert.

Developing a menu with a wide array of options was one of the foremost considerations in the implementation of the new station. Examples of entrees include beef fajitas, chili, smashburgers and pulled pork.

While a good portion of the food already served by Purdue Dining & Culinary does not contain allergens, staff took extra care to ensure dishes that require allergen-free substitutes maintained a tasty profile. The development of the dessert menu, for example, required Dining & Culinary staff to get creative. Staff put extra effort into testing different ingredients to ensure students get the perfect cupcake to satisfy their sweet tooth.

Jessica Rhodes, culinary coordinator at Hillenbrand Dining Court, worked with colleagues across Dining & Culinary to identify the right ingredients. If a testing didn’t produce the right flavor, they tried again until the found the right solution.

“It’s hard to get that flavor when you take all the butter, milk and eggs out,” Rhodes says. “We did a lot of tasting and testing because I wanted to offer something for students that’s not just a cookie from a bag or a frozen brownie. I wanted them to have something special.”

Care must be shown to find products that offer students a variety of menu options. Some products can also be used across multiple dining court stations, creating a positive impact across Dining & Culinary operations.

“Our sourcing team put in lots of work,” says Ashley Sarjent, director of culinary operations and strategic sourcing. “If we don’t have something that’s allergen free, we have to find an alternative. What’s the alternate for chocolate chips made with dairy? We had to find chocolate chips that are free from the top nine allergens.”

Oftentimes, this search involves digging a little deeper than usual. An extensive review process by culinary coordinators, chefs, the sourcing team and Molly Winkeler, registered dietitian for Dining & Culinary, ensures all requirements for the menu have been satisfied.

“There are all sorts of specialty products on the market,” Winkeler says. “We might find a gluten-free bun that has egg in it – so that specific gluten-free bun that’s very accessible and has a good price doesn’t work for our station because we’re considering all top-nine allergens. Not only do we have to find all these different specialty products for items like chocolate chips and buns, but we have to dig a little deeper to find the right product for our students.”

Pulled pork, broccoli and sweet potato fries - part of the lunch menu at SafeBytes during Boiler Gold Rush.

Even with a perfectly designed menu, the style of food service in a dining court does contain some risk of cross-contact with foods that contain allergens. SafeBytes addresses this challenge by being self-contained. All food and equipment used at the station is completely separated from other areas of food preparation, storage and service. The station has its own cooking equipment, serving utensils and dishwasher.

Perhaps the most important piece of reducing the risk of cross-contact is that food at SafeBytes is staff served, whereas most other stations across the residential dining courts are self-serve. All staff who work in the station have completed AllerTrain, an accredited food allergy training course. The course teaches dining professionals proper protocol for preparing food to avoid cross-contact and how to better serve diners with special dietary needs.

“When I talk to students about their allergies, the cross-contact piece is always the thing that students are most worried about,” Winkeler says. “When you’re going through a buffet line, tongs can get mixed up, students can spill things off of plates – and that’s not intentional, it’s just what happens sometimes. The fact that students can come up and tell us what they want and we can serve it to them makes a huge difference. I think that’s something they’re really going to appreciate and that’s what’s going to set it apart.”

All Boilermakers and guests to campus are welcome at SafeBytes. To check out what’s on the menu, download the Mobile Menus app.

SafeBytes is a component of the expansion and renovation of Hillenbrand Dining Court, being completed in conjunction with the ongoing construction of South Hall, the new residence hall south of Hillenbrand. The renovation also includes expanded seating capacity to accommodate additional residents in South Hall. Sushi Boss, a popular sushi option, will also have a presence in the new residence hall as a grab-and-go dining option with seating nearby.