Dietary Accommodations
Accessing Food on Campus
We recognize that there are a variety of needs that may impact your food choices. We can work with you to identify resources to help you access food that will promote full participation in your living-learning environment at Cornell. Our dining facilities provide students not just a meal, but also a rich social experience with plentiful opportunities to connect with fellow community members.
Cornell Dining has taken many steps to be inclusive and allergy-friendly, including having a wide variety of options in our dining facilities (including gluten-free, Halal, kosher, and vegan offerings). The foods in the residential dining halls are labeled for major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, nuts, peanuts, coconut, soy, shellfish, and sesame. They are also labeled for gluten, alcohol, pork, and vegan/vegetarian diets. Additional nutrition information is posted online.
Based on your specific disability-related information, you may benefit from an SDS-recommended meeting with one of the Nutritionists from Cornell Dining.
Health-Related Dietary Concerns
Most students can safely self-navigate the existing campus dining options with the resources around labeling and menus already provided by Dining. Review Dining's website to learn more about this!
If after reviewing the Dining website, you have concerns about:
- eating with specific food allergies, intolerances, or health-related restrictions (notably those not commonly labeled)
- eating with specific medically-prescribed diets/meals
- accessing campus dining due to health- or mental health-related barriers
- navigating campus dining options due to other diagnosed disabilities
... you should consider registering with our office.
You can also register with our office if you are concerned about food exposure in non-dining environments such as your academic program or class, or in residence halls.
Self-Navigating with Dietary Needs
Not all students may need or want disability-related dining accommodations. Learn more about options available to all students:
- Net Nutrition has detailed food nutrition and ingredients for several Dining cafés
- Eateries / Cornell Dining Now has real-time dining options open and near your location
- GETMobile offers low-contact, order-ahead options (e.g., pre-packaged, Halal meals from Willard Straight Hall)
Temporary Dining Needs
If you are temporarily unable to get to a dining hall due to an injury or illness, you can connect with dining@cornell.edu to learn about options (e.g., having a friend pick up food for you using your meal plan).
If you are able to get to a dining hall, but anticipate having trouble once there due to a temporary condition, you can reach out to diningnutrition@cornell.edu to explore options for assistance.
Food Insecurity
Many students experience difficulty obtaining sufficient food in an affordable and convenient way. Fortunately, resources are available locally for assistance.