Want to know what’s in your meal at the University’s dining halls? Not sure if that mixed salad is gluten-free? Wary of sampling that fried rice due to your peanut allergy? You may be out of luck without Internet access.

In the past, the dining halls used physical labels resembling the familiar FDA-mandated Nutrition Facts format, along with colorful window clings to denote common allergens and restrictions. When no pre-printed sign was available, the information was written on sneeze guards using dry-erase markers.

Those days are no more.

As reported today in The Daily Illini, the dining halls have made the baffling calculation that the UI Dining app and EatSmart site are sufficient substitutes for physical labels.

We think the limitations of this new scheme pose safety concerns to customers with dietary restrictions, and only serve to promote a lack of information and confusion among patrons.

There is no question the information available on both the app and site — including comprehensive nutrition facts, allergen and dietary preference details — for select items are useful, but they are no replacement for physical labeling.

The dining hall’s current workaround for people without access to a smartphone or computer is to have workers, generally students, answer these questions by using printouts from the EatSmart site.

However, the dining halls are often understaffed in terms of student workers, and face high student turnover, meaning that they might not be aware of important allergen information.

What’s more, the limited physical labeling the dining halls have retained is woeful. The new physical labels are produced on business cards, in small fonts and with limited space.

The size aspects make the cards hard to read. The limited space cuts off the full names of items, and restricts the dining halls to presenting bare bones nutritional information like serving size, calories, grams of fat, protein and carbs.

It’s not understandable why the dining halls have omitted additional (and quite standard) information such as sugar and sodium content, which are vital for people with diabetes or heart conditions.

For safety, sanity and sensibility reasons, we request the dining halls reconsider their approach. There should be easy to read, laminated, physical signs for all foods that include detailed nutrition facts, allergen information and ingredients, when possible.

Aside from those with dietary concerns, people from a variety of backgrounds commonly feast in the dining halls and the identity of every food is not always readily apparent on sight. Words are a useful means of conveying that a particular item is kimchi, or whether a green legume is edamame or lima beans.

While the app and website contain some great information, they should be seen as supplements, not substitutes.

We think this new system poses some serious health concerns and makes us question the wisdom of University Housing. If the goal is to confuse your customers and possibly jeopardize their health, bravo. You may take your bow.