The Residential Dining Dietary Support Program

Our Award-Winning Dietary Support Program

Our Residential Dining Dietary Support Program won silver for Special Diet Program of the Year at the 2024 National Association of College & University Food Services awards. Registered dietitian Emily Ortega developed the program to provide meal accommodations to students with food allergies or other dietary restrictions and make their dining experience the least stressful and most enjoyable part of their day. The program serves over 100 student residents annually with meals that are safe, satisfying and nutritious.

CTA: See the Award

UC Davis Dining Services mission is to provide a dining experience that is the least stressful and most enjoyable part of our students' day. To that end, our team is committed to providing safe, stress-free, and enjoyable meals for our students with dietary restrictions. We offer alternative meal options through our Residential Dining Dietary Support Program (DSP), however some dietary restrictions may also be managed independently using the information and resources described on our Food Allergens and Ingredients of Concern webpage.

DSP provides alternative meal options and other support resources to hundreds of student residents with dietary restrictions, and functions out of our three Residential Dining Commons (Segundo, Tercero, and Cuarto DC). Students in DSP work with the Registered Dietitian, the DSP Peer Mentor team, chefs, and Residential Dining managers who collaborate to ensure students with dietary restrictions have an exceptional dining experience. We work with each student individually, providing the resources necessary to make informed food choices and discussing options that best meet each student's dietary needs.

We strongly encourage students with food allergies or dietary restrictions to plan ahead and coordinate any necessary arrangements prior to arriving on campus. Read below to learn more about the resources and alternative meal options available at UC Davis Residential Dining Services.

Qualifying for the Dietary Support Program

The following individuals may qualify for DSP:

  • Students who have residence hall room and board contracts (i.e. living in either Segundo, Tercero, or Cuarto with a mandatory 5-day or 7-day meal plan)
  • Student residents of the Green with a Residential Dining meal plan
  • Residential staff members (student or professional) who have a residential meal plan as part of their position

In addition to these, individuals may qualify for DSP who have any one or more of the following:

  • Food allergies
  • Food intolerances (examples include lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance)
  • Dietary restrictions related to a health condition (examples include Crohn's disease, Celiac Disease, IBS, IBD, Diabetes)
  • Physician-prescribed therapeutic diets (examples include low FODMAP diet, specific carbohydrate diet)
  • Behavioral health-related dietary restrictions
  • Other medical dietary restrictions
  • Religious dietary obligations

How To Apply

Step 1: Submit your Application Online

Start by disclosing your need for dietary accommodations to the Student Disability Center (SDC). Create a profile on the MySDCOnline portal to disclose your need for alternative meal options in Residential Dining. Comprehensive instructions on how to access and apply via this portal may be found on the Accessible Housing and Dining webpage. After submitting your application, an SDC specialist will be assigned to review your request and reach out to you via the portal for additional information as needed. You may be prompted to schedule an appointment with your assigned SDC specialist to review the terms of your request. Once your request is approved, the specialist will provide your information to Student Housing and Dining Services.

Please note: Dining Services DSP team is not authorized to accept medical documentation and/or approve or deny requests to join DSP. This process is co-managed by the Student Disability Center and the Housing Arrangements team, who collaborate to assign approved cases to the DSP team. If you have questions or concerns regarding the status of your request, please reach out to your assigned specialist via the Message Center on your MySDCOnline profile.

Troubleshooting tip: if you experience issues or delays in the processing of your disclosure, log into your MySDCOnline portal and make sure you have read all communications sent to you by your assigned specialist. Often, delays in processing are due to missing documentation that have been requested by a specialist. Reach out to your specialist via the portal message center for clarification and assistance.

Step 2: Schedule your Appointment with the Nutrition Team

Upon receiving your information from the specialist, Dining Services DSP Team will reach out to you via the MySDCOnline portal with the information needed to schedule a brief appointment. It is the student’s responsibility to consistently monitor the information and communication on their portal profile.

During your appointment with the Nutrition Team, you will complete a Food Preferences List, a document communicating your specific dietary restrictions and preferences to the Residential Dining culinary teams. Students must have a Food Preferences List on file to access alternative meal options, as this ensures the culinary team has detailed information on how to prepare the student's meals safely. See an example of a Food Preferences List (pdf).

Step 3: Order Custom Meals from our DCs

Once you have a Food Preferences List on file, you will be able to order from the Aggie Choice Menu, our menu of alternative meal options that features customizable fresh meals, available year-round, made to order, that can fit your unique dietary needs. The Aggie Choice Menu contains a variety of food options meant to meet the needs of most students in DSP, who have a wide and varying range of dietary restrictions. Comprehensive instructions on how to use and order from this menu will be covered during your appointment with the Nutrition Team.

Please note: Students MUST have a complete Food Preferences List submitted to the culinary team to place orders from the Aggie Choice Menu. For their safety, students without a completed Food Preferences List on file who place orders from this menu will NOT have their meal order fulfilled. Please ensure you have completed the steps above to qualify for DSP.

Want to see more? Check out our DSP Hub for more information on the comprehensive resources and activities we provide to students in DSP!

Step 4: Termination and Re-Application

Students’ access to alternative meal options through DSP terminates at the conclusion of the academic year. Students who still qualify for meal accommodations after this time must re-apply to continue their access to alternative meal options through DSP.

Students with Aggie Swipe Plus Meal Plans

At this time, alternative meal options through DSP are not available to students with the voluntary Aggie Swipe Plus meal plans. Because there is no meal plan requirement for students living off campus or in campus apartment housing, students who make the choice to purchase voluntary Aggie Swipe Plus meal plans should do so with their own dietary restrictions in mind. Inquiries and refunds can be provided at any time by visiting the Dining Services Meal Card Office, located on the 3rd floor of the Segundo Services Center, and by telephone at 530-752-6335. Visit the Aggie Swipe Plus Meal Plan website for more information.

Do you have general questions about our Dietary Support Program? Email us at DSP@ucdavis.edu.

Parent Involvement: Fostering Self-Advocacy for Safety & Success

Moving away from home to college is a certainly exciting and sometimes overwhelming time, as students take their first steps toward independence and adulthood. This experience can be particularly daunting for both students and parents alike, especially if those students are living with a food allergy.

Parents or guardians communicating on behalf of a UC Davis student with members of our Dining team are always met with utmost care and concern. In an effort to provide student-centered care, we prioritize direct and open communication with the UC Davis student, which fosters the development of their self-advocacy while also allowing us to best service their needs. We are also mindful of FERPA regulations, and can only provide general information unless we have a release from the student involved. Parents are highly encouraged to have their student reach out on their own behalf, to ensure the student's safety and success both at UC Davis Dining Services and beyond.

Dietary Accommodations During the Summer Quarter

Summer program participants with dietary restrictions are eligible for temporary dietary accommodations that span the duration of their program. Please note: reductions in Summer dining service are in place to reflect the reduced volume of on-campus patrons. Please be advised that some of our campus dining establishments may be temporarily closed during the Summer quarter.

Current UC Davis Students:

If you are a current UC Davis student participating in a residential Summer program that includes a meal plan in the DC's, follow the steps above to qualify for our Residential Dining Dietary Support Program.

Non-UC Davis Students:

If you are a non-UC Davis student participating in a Summer program supported by Student Housing and Dining Services, please be sure to communicate your dietary needs to your Summer program director, who will assist you in securing alternative meal options at Residential Dining.

Exploring Retail Dining with Dietary Restrictions

At this time, alternative dining options for food allergies or other medical dietary restrictions are only available in Residential Dining (Segundo, Tercero, and Cuarto DC) through our Residential Dining Dietary Support Program. We cannot guarantee that foods served at our campus retail dining establishments can be prepared allergy-friendly. These establishments include: residential markets, Silo Market, Latitude Restaurant and Market, Spokes Grill, The Gunrock, Sage Street Market and Café, Scrubs Café, and campus Peet's Coffee locations. While menus can be found on our website and provided upon request, dining patrons are highly encouraged to communicate their dietary restrictions to a manager upon visiting any of our retail dining establishments. Our staff are knowledgeable of the menus and food preparation methods, and would be happy to assist you during your visit. Please note: the Coffee House, or CoHo, located in the Memorial Union, is run by ASUCD and not part of UC Davis Dining Services. Additionally, food trucks are independent businesses with their own practices. While Dining Services assists with answering allergy-related questions, food trucks are not operated or supervised by Dining Services. Please plan accordingly when dining at these establishments.

What About Latitude?

While not a DC, Latitude is a restaurant that accepts meal card swipes, and features authentic cultural cuisine from around the world. In order to respect and preserve the cultural authenticity of the dishes served, Latitude chefs strive to create global cuisines that accurately represent a variety of international culinary traditions. Some dishes, therefore, may contain possible choking hazards (including whole spices, peppers, and bones) and/or major food allergens. While precautions are taken to ensure accurate and transparent labeling, Latitude dishes are prepared in a facility that also processes most major food allergens, and therefore may potentially contain major allergens and ingredients of concern. Please note that our Residential Dining Dietary Support Program is not offered at Latitude. If you have a severe food allergy or other dietary restriction, it is highly recommended that you speak to a Latitude manager first and communicate your dietary needs. Learn more about Latitude Dining and Restaurant at the Latitude Restaurant website.