In a small, dark corner of Perry Cafeteria lies the gluten-free section, or lack there of.
In this neglected area, stale gluten-free bagels and muffins are the norm, along with a tempting empty container where the gluten-free Chex Cereal should be stored. Occasionally there will be the odd apple or banana, but I think the picture is clear. As someone who has to eat from this section on a daily basis and has paid for a very expensive meal plan, I am more than disappointed.
This may seem like a small concern, but for students who can not have gluten, it’s very challenging to eat on campus. If freshmen are required to purchase these costly meal plans, shouldn’t they be offered food they can actually eat? There are many conditions out there, and Mississippi State cannot cater to everyone’s specific dietary restrictions, but gluten intolerance is more common than many people think. In fact, 1 in every 133 individuals in the general population cannot consume gluten. Therefore, if 19,830 students currently attend MSU at the Starkville campus alone, then at least 150 of them require a completely gluten-free diet. That does not even account for those who have gluten sensitivity or those who prefer not to consume gluten for other health reasons.
This isn’t to say I believe that every eatery on campus should offer a gluten-free menu or that it should be the cafeteria’s number one priority; however, dining services should take into consideration that there are a significant amount of students who are required to pay for a meal plan and can’t eat stale muffins and bagels everyday. The justification for the meal plan requirement for freshmen is it saves them money in the long run. If freshmen have a meal plan, then they will not have to buy groceries very often or have to go out to eat. For people with gluten-restrictive diets, this simply isn’t true. In the past few weeks, I have spent a considerable amount of my own money buying food I can eat, since I can’t stomach what is offered on campus. Those who are directly affected aren’t the only ones who have noticed the lack of gluten-free options. Mary Kathryn Wynn, a freshman at MSU, said, “The gluten-free section seems to be lacking. I have a couple of friends who have conditions in which they can’t eat gluten. It seems unfair that they aren’t offered many options on campus.”
In fact, this section of the cafeteria is so small I did not notice it until the second month of school.
Some argue this sudden interest in gluten-free food is simply a fad. They claim it is just another diet and only a rare few experience true gluten intolerance. They think eventually, it will fade like every other trend, and they will no longer have to worry themselves with gluten-free recipes. However, this is far from true. When asked why gluten intolerance seems to be on the rise, Marion Nestle, author of “Food and Politics,”states, “with diagnosis so difficult, it is not easy to estimate trends … A more likely explanation for the increase is the recent improvement in diagnostic ability. Doctors are more aware of the problem and are testing for it.”
If MSU offered more gluten-free options, I, for one, would feel much better knowing I have not wasted the money I spent on a meal plan. I realize preparing gluten-free dishes for a small portion of the student body may be troublesome or even a little more costly, but even one gluten-free dish offered a day at Perry Cafeteria would be a great help to these individuals.
Rebecca Kellum is a freshman majoring in chemical engineering. She can be contacted at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.