New scheme launched to aid food allergy sufferers

Allergy UK has announced the launch of a new accreditation scheme for catering establishments that are willing to go above and beyond EU legislation to make dining out an exceptional experience for allergy sufferers.

The Allergy Aware Scheme aims to recognise establishments in the food sector that place allergy awareness high on their list of priorities , in order to achieve accreditation businesses will be required to sign up to a charter to ensure best practices are followed and staff members will have compulsory training from Allergy Aware Kitchen.

The scheme comes into force after EU legislation was brought in last December requiring that all catering establishments list which of the 14 allergens are present in every dish that is offered. It is hoped the ruling and Allergy UK’s accreditation scheme will reduce the number of hospital admissions from allergic reactions to food , last year a staggering 4,800 were recorded.