Over Wintersession, Campus Dining added halal cards at the grill stations in residential dining halls. Each residential dining hall allows students to hand the dining hall staff a small card that reads “halal” to indicate that their food must be made in accordance with halal requirements. Students who keep halal cannot eat pork, any form of alcohol or alcohol-containing product, or meat that is not properly slaughtered according to Islamic belief.
Assistant Vice President of Campus Dining Nadeem Siddiqui and Campus Wellness Dietitian Puneet Sethi told The Daily Princetonian that the program was implemented following student concerns regarding the preparation of halal items at the grill stations. After sharing the program with the Muslim Chaplain’s office and the Princeton Muslim Student Association (MSA), the program was piloted over Wintersession at the Whitman-Butler Dining Hall, and then expanded to the remaining residential dining halls once the semester began.
Siddiqui and Sethi explained that the program ensures that students who keep halal are confident that their food was prepared on a separate grill. “It’s an extra layer of communication, so that the staff knows that not only should the ingredients be halal, but there should be no cross contact with non-halal meat,” Sethi said in an interview with the ‘Prince.’
Zoha Khan ’26, co-president of MSA, expressed satisfaction with the program so far, indicating that it increases accessibility and communication for students who keep halal.
“It’s another way to normalize halal eating on campus and make it easy for everyone who’s involved in that exchange,” Khan said in an interview with the ‘Prince.’
Ariyan Sajid ’25, former treasurer of the MSA, said that he appreciates the effort from Campus Dining but did not receive much communication regarding the change. Sajid has only used the halal card once, and when he held the card up, the dining hall staff pointed to the halal chicken that was already on the side of the grill.
“I think there is a communication gap regarding what exactly a student gets if they give the card to the grill,” Sajid said in an interview with the ‘Prince.’ “I think it would be great to see some clarification from Campus Dining regarding when and how the card should be used.”
Sajid also mentioned that some students experience a sense of awkwardness when they pass the card, since there may not be verbal confirmation. “It seems too transactional,” he said. He also explained that he would rather eat dinner at a dining hall where the main course is already halal, instead of selecting an option at the grill.
Siddiqui explained that certain grills are set up such that all the items on the grill are already halal. However, he added that having a centralized system for each dining hall helps ensure that students and staff are on the same page, regardless of how the grill functions.
“The reason the cards might not be being used as much as they thought they would is because Campus Dining really went out of their way to get proper training for all their employees on what halal is,” Khan said.
Michaela Majeski, who works at the Choi Dining Hall, described her experience in an interview with the ‘Prince.’ “We do a lot of training to prepare us for those situations where the students come up to us and ask us about options and allergies,” she said. She expressed her confidence in Campus Dining’s ability to accommodate students’ dietary restrictions.
“I think the halal options have definitely been expanding,” Majeski expressed. “We have, especially for the omelet station, separate equipment and separate pans to do halal omelets. Across Campus Dining, our chicken and our burgers are halal, so it’s really nice to have those options for the students.”
Sethi said that some dining halls have less traffic, allowing staff to develop relationships with students and understand their dietary needs. But some dining halls, such as Choi Dining Hall, which is shared by New College West and Yeh College, are busy and loud, and having the cards ensures there is a clear way to communicate dietary needs.
Ladan Abdulahi ’28 explained that she feels more comfortable knowing that Halal options are being supported at the grill.
“My eating experience has been very positive since the cards have been implemented because I now feel like I’m being catered to. I know it was especially hard for students that only eat Zabiha halal who did not know if they could use the grill at all,” she wrote in a statement to the ‘Prince.’ Zabiha are the rules of slaughtering an animal to make it halal for consumption.
Abdulahi added that the implementation of the cards helps students comfortably access the meal accommodations they require.
“I think the cards have been very effective and have prevented the need to ask dining hall employees about whether something is halal or not. I had to play a guessing game of what is halal before the cards,” Abdulahi wrote.
In addition to receiving requests at the grill, kitchen staff has received feedback at the wok station that students would like more halal options from different cuisines offered in Choi Dining Hall, Majeski said.
With Ramadan beginning tomorrow evening, Campus Dining’s Ramadan Meal Plan began today. Students began to pick up customizable Suhoor meal kits at the convenience store in Frist Campus Center starting on Feb. 27.
Hobson College, which is set to be completed in Spring 2027, will have an entire halal-certified dining station.
Hannah Gabelnick is a senior News writer for the ‘Prince.’ She is from Buffalo, N.Y. and typically covers academic policy, institutional legacy, and health.
Katelynn Lee is a staff News writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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