Raymond Borawski ’28
Staff Writer
Holy Cross Dining’s very own Kimball Dining Hall was recently featured in an article from US News and World Report outlining 11 colleges with healthy dining options. Kimball, a staple of campus life here on the Hill, has been recognized before, being profiled in a variety of news organizations for their vegan dining alternatives and their focus on sustainability. This short passage from mid February, highlights some of the health initiatives Holy Cross Dining is taking to ensure each member of its student body, no matter what they might be allergic to, has a place to safely eat without fear of their allergens.
According to FARE, (Food Allergy Research and Education), a leading nonprofit dedicated to the education and empowerment of those affected by food allergies, roughly 1 in 10 adults suffers from a food allergy, with 90 percent of allergic reactions being caused by the “big 9” food allergens. The big 9 include shellfish, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, wheat, soy and sesame. All together these allergies affect more than 34 million Americans. The Base, Holy Cross’s allergy free dining station, prides itself on serving food that is free of the top ten allergens.
In a previous article from Holy Cross Magazine, Rich Perna, the college’s Director of Dining and Hospitality describes the Base as being “far better received than we imagined.” He goes on to explain the college’s goal of being as friendly to those with allergies as possible. The Base cooks its food within a designated area, isolated from the rest of Kimball’s kitchen. The Base serves a variety of bowls as well as a stir fry option. Furthermore, the Dining team working the Base has been trained in allergen safety to eliminate cross contamination.
The article also recognizes Holy Cross Dining for being a very sustainable place as well. Holy Cross as an institution has been very public about its ambitions to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040. When a company or organization reaches net zero emissions, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it puts into the atmosphere are equal to the amount of greenhouse gasses they pull out, meaning its role in producing the harmful greenhouse gases that are responsible for much of the changing climate is mitigated. Kimball has been one of the major contributors to this agenda. In 2009 Kimball stopped using trays, which had the effect of reducing food waste by between 25-50% and reducing water consumption by more than 900 gallons a day. Additionally, Kimball does not use styrofoam at all.
The article also makes a point of mentioning the discounts some students are given for bringing their own water bottle, as well as filtered water being available with the intention of reducing the usage of plastic water bottles. All of this showcases the efforts Holy Cross dining is taking to make campus a greener place while improving student life and preserving variety and inclusion for every student, no matter what allergens they might have.
Holy Cross dining as an organization is known across campus to work exceptionally hard to provide all students with good food every day. Whether it’s sunny, raining, or even snowing, they show up, and it’s gratifying to see them get the recognition they deserve by US News and World Report.
Featured image courtesy of College of the Holy Cross
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