Sodexo’s gluten-free options to JU students spotlighted in Florida Times-Union column

Four years ago, when a Jacksonville University student required a gluten-free diet, Sodexo staffers gladly accommodated her needs by making regular trips to a local grocery store.

Now, students with celiac disease can find two gluten-free entrees are on the daily menu in addition to the salad bar at Riverview Cafe, and Sodexo also makes gluten-free options available at its other locations on campus.

The gluten-free offerings at JU and the University of North Florida were spotlighted March 14 in the monthly Florida Times-Union “Gluten-Free Glutton” column written by Mark Basch.

Sodexo General Manager Ashley Curry says Sodexo attempts to identify students with food allergies upon their enrollment at JU.

“We just make sure we have a conference with them and their parents before  the semester begins,” Curry said in the T-U column.

People who have celiac disease, a complex autoimmune disease that affects the small bowel, must avoid gluten to prevent gastrointestinal symptoms and possible intestinal damage. Gluten is the natural protein in wheat that makes dough elastic; it is also found in rye, barley, and possibly oats.

Click here for the entire March 14 Gluten-Free Glutton column.