Holder Justice Department Ensures Hot Gluten-Free Food on Campus

The Eric Holder Justice Department is on a roll, this time threatening to sue Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The problem?  The lack of hot delicious gluten-free food in the university cafeteria.  Thanks to Eric Holder, the Federal government is bringing big changes to the college mess hall.  Among the new federal mandates at Lesley:

· Continually provide ready-made hot and cold gluten- and allergen-free food options in its dining hall food lines;

· Develop individualized meal plans for students with food allergies, and allow those students to pre-order allergen free meals, that can be made available at the university’s dining halls in Cambridge and Boston;

· Provide a dedicated space in its main dining hall to store and prepare gluten-free and allergen-free foods and to avoid cross-contamination; 

· Work to retain vendors that accept students’ prepaid meal cards that offer food without allergens.

The college was also required to fork over $50,000 for peace.  Expect smelly perfumes to be the Fed’s next target.  You can read the absurd agreement here.  Read it and ponder the tens of thousands of federal tax dollars behind the agreement – the travel, the time, the costs.  Would George Bush have signed the Americans with Disability Act had he known it would result in federal government bureaucrats drafting agreements that include this:

The University understands that students may be at or near different parts of campus during lunch and dinner and might prefer to have their meals delivered to these locations. Accordingly, when students order meals via the Pre-Order Option described in Paragraph 4(d), students may request that the University deliver their meals to the University’s other dining hall and food eatery facilities. Students should provide the Food Service Provider with reasonable twenty-four (24) hours advanced notice to allow the Food Service Provider to prepare and deliver the meal to the designated location. The University will make reasonable efforts to deliver the meals to the designated location after receiving 24 hours advanced notice, but in certain circumstances may be unable to deliver meals in a timely manner due to inclement weather or other transportation impediments. Due to the limited size and capacity of the University’s dining hall kitchens, the University will prepare such meals at the White Hall kitchen facility. These meals will then be delivered to the other University kitchens, where they are kept separate to avoid cross-contamination.

And it wasn’t enough for Holder for the college to simply offer hot gluten free meals, they had to agree to this:

The University will maintain the dedicated area and ensure that it contains the following:

 

(i) A sink and counter area, dish rack, and other kitchen supplies, (i.e., paper towels, dish soap, sponges, etc.), refreshed as necessary;

 

(ii) A refrigerator and freezer for perishable items;

 

(iii) Cabinet space for non-perishable items;

 

(iv) Separate appliances, including a microwave and toaster; and

 

(v) A food warmer to keep pre-ordered meals warm.

Lesley President Joseph Moore was obviously more interested in getting Eric Holder off his back than testing the questionable legal basis behind this federal intrusion.