Food allergy on US college and university campuses: A systematic literature review

Objective: Determine how food allergy (FA) is managed on college campuses from both an institutional and student perspective. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses principles. Results: Colleges/universities included in our sample were not fully equipped for handling FA emergencies, and most were lacking FA resources. While the need for FA training was found to be needed by both students and dining hall staff, there were no such programs currently available. Also, students did not feel safe in their college environment and were frequently anticipating an allergic reaction. Despite this fear, students with FA were also not carrying their SIE on their person. Additionally, the Americans with Disabilities Act was not mentioned in any of the reviewed studies, food allergy is a disability condition covered by this Act. Conclusions: More research needs to be done in this area to evaluate current procedures and determine areas of improvement to benefit college students with FA.