What is wellness if it’s not for everyone?

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The AWC Cafeteria’s Lack of Food Sensitivity Awareness – A Year Later, Students Still Wait for Change

In 2024, a Grade 10 student with Celiac was “glutened” not once, but twice by meals labeled gluten-free at the Athletics and Wellness Center (AWC) cafeteria. Each incident ended the same way with intense pain, nausea, and days of needed recovery. Nearly a year later, little has changed Despite the cafeteria’s messaging around inclusivity and wellness, for students with dietary restrictions, those promises still ring hollow. The AWC is the center of student life. Every weekday, hundreds of students crowd into the cafeteria for lunch, drawn by its bright atmosphere and wide selection: a hot meal counter, a salad bar bursting with color, a sandwich station, and rows of snacks, sodas, and pastries. On Tuesdays, excitement fills the air for the famous “Treat Tuesday,” a weekly ritual where trays of cookies, brownies and other baked goods line the counter. It’s a tradition that brings joy to many,  but for the food sensitive community at Branksome, it’s a reminder of exclusion.  There are no gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, or kosher desserts. Not a single option. Week after week, students with allergies or intolerances sit and watch as their friends line up for treats students  can’t enjoy with them. “I just stopped going to the cafeteria on Tuesdays,” said one student with celiac disease, who asked to remain anonymous. “it’s frustrating to watch everyone else celebrate something that I physically can’t participate in. I don’t want special attention, I just want to feel safe eating lunch like everyone else.”

One Time Too Many

For students with celiac disease, eating gluten isn’t just uncomfortable, it is dangerous. Even trace amounts can cause lasting intestinal damage and immune system responses. So when students expect a gluten-free meal from the AWC, they are placing complete trust in the cafeteria’s food safety standards.

That trust was broken twice in 2024. 

In one instance, a student was served a “gluten-free” meal that was later discovered to have been in contact with traces of gluten. Another time, gluten-free chicken was plated using the same tongs as breaded cutlets. Each time, the result was the same: severe illness, missed classes, and emotional distress. “I felt betrayed,” the student admitted. “I told them I had celiac disease. They said they understood but I was getting sick. It made me feel like my health didn’t matter.” Despite these reports, no public statement or visible policy change followed. While some staff members expressed concern, no systemic improvements were made to prevent cross-contamination or ensure that meals labeled gluten-free truly were. 

Branksome does have an incredible cafeteria with lots of options for student selections. This offers a perspective that is not often heard or expressed. 

A Menu of Inequality

The irony is that the AWC does a commendable job catering for other dietary preferences; the vegetarian menu, for instance, has become one of the most popular choices among both vegetarian and non-vegetarian students. Creative dishes like roasted vegetable bowls, falafel wraps, and meatless curries are not only tasty but inclusive. The success proves that the AWC can innovate when it chooses to. Yet, for the gluten-free celiac and allergy sensitive community, the same effort simply hasn’t been made. “Confusion from staff unsure what gluten-free actually means is isolating,” say students, another student explained, “You’re made to feel like a problem instead of a person.” For a school that emphasizes wellness, balance, and inclusion, the lack of safe, equitable food options is a glaring contradiction.

Many colleges have had to implement measures to support all students and their dietary restrictions. At Tufts University there is a gluten free cafeteria (“Homepage | Tufts Dining”) that supports its student body  by providing safe meals that accommodate their restrictions. Several universities are recognized for their exceptional allergy friendly dining programs, providing safe options for students with food allergies and gluten sensitivities. Vanderbilt University offers a certified allergy free dining venue with a dedicated kitchen and a mobile app for customized meals. Michigan State University’s Thrive dining hall restricts the top eight allergens plus gluten. George Mason University was ranked #1 on spokin’s 2025 list for its extensive allergen safe programs, including a certified bakery. Tufts University Features “all9Free,” a station free from the top nine allergies, along with a separate gluten, peanut, and tree nut free dining hall. The University of Maryland provided “purple zone” stations in two dining halls, free of the top nine allergens, with dedicated gluten free cooking space. (Overbeek) 

A Year of Advocacy — and Waiting

This lack of progress highlights a deeper issue, one of priority. Accessibility in food services is not treated with the same seriousness as other forms of inclusion. Accommodating medical dietary needs should not be optional, or considered a “special request.” It should be basic and standard in a modern educational environment. 

More Than Food: It’s About Dignity

For many students, lunchtime is more than just a break, it’s time to connect, unwind, and share moments with friends. When students with food restrictions are excluded from that experience, it sends a painful message: that their needs are an inconvenience. The emotional toll can be significant. “I started bringing my own food because I didn’t trust the cafeteria anymore,” said a student with celiac disease. “But it feels unfair. Everyone else gets a hot, fresh meal and I have to sit there eating from a container.” These experiences are not isolated. Across the student body, there’s growing awareness that inclusivity must extend beyond identity and ability, it must include what’s on our plates. 

What’s wellness without inclusivity? 

Moving Forward: What Needs to Change in 2025.”

If the AWC cafeteria truly wants to stand by its mission of promoting health and inclusion, it needs to take immediate, tangible steps in 2025. 

Here’s what the students are asking for:

1. Dedicated gluten-free preparation areas:

Create a separate workspace and use separate utensils to eliminate cross-contamination for students.

2. Inclusive dessert options: 

Offer at least gluten-free, egg free, or vegan treats on treat Tuesday. inclusion can be delicious too. 

3. Staff training:

 Ensure cafeteria staff fully understand the severity of food allergies and celiac disease.

4. Student collaboration

Sophie Schofield runs a small Advisory Group of students with dietary restrictions who can provide feedback on menus and how to keep the kitchen safe and make the cafeteria more inclusive. (Gluten Free club) 

These steps are not costly or complicated, these are acts of responsibility and care that are achievable. 

A Call for Accountability

It’s now 2025, and the lessons from last year should not be ignored. The incidents of 2024 should have been a wake up call. Instead, they’ve become a cautionary tale about what happens when good intentions aren’t matched by action. The AWC cafeteria has an opportunity to do better, not just for one student, but for every student who has ever felt excluded, unsafe, or overlooked because of what’s on their plate. Food is more than nourishment. It’s connection, community, and respect. Until every student can sit down at the same table with confidence in the food they’re served, the AWC’s mission of Wellness remains incomplete.