Have you ever noticed the elusive, fenced-off section of Usdan between the Kosher section and the deli meat? Most people have not, but the gluten-free section, established in September of 2010, is a haven for a growing number of students with wheat allergies or Celiac Disease—the inability to digest gluten. Gluten is a protein commonly found in wheat, rye, and barley. Thus, bread, pasta, and most cereals are off-limits to someone with gluten sensitivity.

Although eating gluten-free may not sound too limiting, a gluten allergy or sensitivity is further complicated by the fact that many gluten-free foods are processed using the same machinery that processes wheat products, resulting in cross-contamination. Bon Appétit nutritionist Daniele Cucinella explained that oats are a primary example of this—they are gluten-free but are almost always contaminated by wheat products. Irish oats are an exception, but how is one supposed to distinguish between Irish and American oats by looking at them? I have learned that, in order to deal with a gluten allergy or sensitivity, you have to constantly ask questions.

Over spring break, I was placed on an experimental diet that forbade me from eating gluten or dairy. I hoped that I could continue the diet at Wesleyan with the help of the vegan and gluten-free sections of Usdan. However, I quickly realized that, unlike the vegan and kosher sections, the gluten-free section is very inconsistent—it ranges from gluten-free breads and bagels to Naked juices and yogurts. On certain days, you can piece together a great meal consisting of a Panini made from a gluten-free bagel, salad from the salad bar, and rice pilaf from the kosher station. Other times, the station offers just deli meat, hard-boiled eggs, and cereal. While this might not sound too bad, eating hard-boiled eggs and turkey twice a day, every day is unsatisfying, and it gets old pretty quickly.

The gluten-free offerings at Usdan have received mixed reviews from students. Greg Faxon ’14, who suffers from Celiac Disease, had a relatively positive outlook.

“It’s definitely helpful for me because otherwise I don’t know what’s in the food,” Faxon said.

However, Faxon acknowledged that there are some shortcomings.

“It can get monotonous,” he said. “Everyone already gets bored of Usdan even though they have pretty good options, so it’s hard when you’re eating from the same section every day. This might be a little too ambitious, but it would be cool if some of the food from the different sections could be clearly labeled ‘gluten free.’ It would also be cool if they offered more grilled chicken or fish.”

While it is great that Bon Appétit offers a gluten-free section, it could do more to reduce unnecessary gluten in other Usdan foods to make up for the section’s limited offerings. For example, the French fries, which are normally a gluten-free item, are coated in flour before they are fried. Many of the soups are thickened with pasta. The oats in the oatmeal and the granola are cross-contaminated. Although pasta in soup is easy to identify, cross-contaminated oats and flour-dredged-fries are not. One can always ask a Bon Appétit worker to check the ingredients of certain foods, but it never even occurred to me to ask about the fries. Bon Appétit could make gluten-free eating significantly easier if foods with hidden gluten were clearly labeled; or, even better, unnecessary gluten could be eliminated from recipes all together.

Given its short life, Bon Appétit’s gluten-free offerings at Usdan should be commended despite its shortcomings. Weshop has an even more expansive selection of gluten-free foods for those who have the points. Those of us with gluten allergies or sensitivities are looking forward to seeing both an improvement of the gluten-free offerings at Usdan and the omission of unnecessary gluten in all of the Bon Appétit’s cafes.