Campus dining venues serve meals and snacks containing all sorts of soy, milk, nut and wheat combinations.But to some students, these ingredients are just recipes for a food-allergy flare-up.Hali Mouiller, animal science sophomore, has a shellfish allergy and said she heads straight to Chick-fil-A when she goes to Tiger Lair in the Student Union because she knows their products don’t contain shellfish.”I just swell up,” she said of a time when she ate seafood. “I can’t breathe.”She said she constantly checks menu ingredients and packaged food for traces of shellfish. But she hasn’t had any problems with her allergy on campus, she said.David Heidke, director of LSU Dining and Concessions, said no reports of student allergy attacks or food poisoning from LSU Dining’s offerings have crossed his desk since his arrival to the University in 1997. He said some students notify his department of food allergies for accommodations, and the most commonly reported allergies are peanut and gluten or wheat-related problems.One in five Americans suffers from some type of allergy, and 6 percent of those people suffer from food or drug allergies, according to figures from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. About 90 percent of all food allergies revolve around eight foods, according to AAFA — peanuts, wheat, milk, soy, tree nuts, fish, eggs and shellfish.Vanessa Richard, Student Health Center dietician, said she could not track the number of cases of food-borne allergies treated at the Health Center because blood tests for gastrointestinal illnesses are rare at the center. She said most student inquiries about food allergies are related to tips for preventing anaphylactic shock, which can be accompanied by airway and blood vessel constriction.Heidke said most of the responsibility to report or prevent allergy attacks falls on students. Students rarely report serious allergies, he said. “There’s not a lot we can do,” he said. He said some Union restaurants like Chick-fil-A use peanut oil and post that information to alert students with allergies, but LSU Dining does not post preparation facts at dining halls. “There is no warning. If we’re preparing an entrée that has peanuts in it … then it’s in the name of the particular entrée,” Heidke said. He said his department prepares for allergy attacks and food poisoning and answers students’ questions. A reported food allergy is grounds for exemption from freshman meal plan requirements, he said. LSU Dining staff, chefs, dieticians and serving personnel are all moderately knowledgeable about food contents and can usually field questions, he said.Heidke said attaching liability would be a cloudy area in instances of potential food poisoning.”At the end of the day, if there’s a shortcoming … then that’s where fault would be assessed,” Heidke said. Taylor Harbuck, political science sophomore, said she takes measures to avoid food poisoning on campus.”I don’t eat the sushi on campus,” she said. “It kind of scares me.”But Casey Miller, communication studies senior, said he doesn’t worry about the food on campus.”I just trust the food,” he said.- – – -Contact Sarah Lawson at [email protected]