Dietary Restrictions & Food Allergens
At GW Dining, our primary goal is to ensure all students have a worry-free dining experience when eating on campus. Our program caters to a multitude of special diets and allergen restrictions and will continue to expand dining offerings to ensure the needs of students are being met.
Contact Our GW Dietitian
Our campus Registered Dietitian, Natalie Coppola, received her Bachelor's of Science in Dietetics at James Madison University and completed her dietetic internship at Keene State College in New Hampshire. She has worked with adolescents with eating disorders/who struggled with disordered eating behaviors as well as in acute care clinical settings. Natalie is your main point of contact for all allergy or dietary-related issues.
Natalie is available for student meetings upon request. Please us the link below to request an appointment with Natalie.
Food Allergens
As part of the university's commitment to ensure every student has access to quality nutritious meals, GW Dining operates a robust food allergy program in each of its all-you-care-to-eat dining halls on campus. This program includes Pure Eats which eliminates the top 9 allergens (milk, eggs, nuts, fish, crustaceans, shellfish, wheat, soy, and sesame) from the menu and the Avoiding Gluten station, each of which has a separate designated area for cooking and preparation.
As a nut-free program, no tree nuts or peanuts are served in any of our dining facilities.
GW Dining Staff is trained by the Registered Dietitian to ensure students feel comfortable sharing their dietary needs for specific accommodations in the dining halls. Our management, culinary staff, and allergen handling associates have completed a FARE-Certified food allergen training program, along with additional food allergy training specific to cross-contamination and meal preparation.
Please see our Wellness Guide for more information.
Halal Dining
Our halal food is certified from the Halal Food Council U.S.A.
100% of all chicken products (not pre-cooked) served across campus are certified-halal.
University Student Center (USC) includes two dining concepts, Chaat House and Absurd Bird, which both serve certified-halal chicken.
Kosher Dining
The kosher program is under the supervision of OU Kosher Certification Agency, Kosher Supervision by Orthodox Union.
Kosher meals are available at GW Zingers as part of the GW Dining Program. GW Zingers has a full time Mashgiach and kosher chef on staff.
Students are able to utilize a Meal Swipe at GW Zingers for a student ‘Meal Deal.’ Students with a university meal plan are also able to upgrade their meal selection to receive daily specials (i.e. Bubbie’s Braised Brisket), which are available using a meal swipe plus $6 in dining dollars.
Vegan, Vegetarian, & Plant-Based Dining
70-75% of all dining hall menus are vegetarian or vegan.
Our online menus and digital line identifiers (PIDs) will label all vegetarian options with a 'V' and all vegan options with a 'VG.'
Have any questions about what is currently being served?
Please ask one of our Ingredient Expert associates while in the dining hall. Ingredient Experts are our on-site managers, supervisors, and chefs who can be identified by their purple "Allergen Expert" clothing pins.