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National charity group Allergy UK has launched a new accreditation scheme for hospitality businesses in a bid to help them better cater for diners with food allergies.
According to Hotel Owner magazine, the Allergy Aware Scheme will acknowledge hospitality businesses - including pubs, restaurants and hotels - which provide 'exceptional service' for diners with intolerances and allergies, as well as those which display 'gold standard' allergen management.
Approximately 2 million people in the UK suffer from some sort of food intolerance; Allergy UK said that it hopes the scheme will 'put piece of mind on the menu' for those people.
Businesses that want to be part of the scheme will be required to sign a charter to ensure compliance and best practice. They will then receive training by provider Allergy Aware Kitchen before being accredited. Caterers are able to join the scheme initially for 12 months and will be subject to renewal on a yearly basis.
Accredited businesses will receive an exclusive listing on Can I Eat There?; a web-based restaurant and menu directory for allergy sufferers.
Carla Jones, CEO of Allergy UK, commented: "The Allergy Aware Scheme aims to help caterers seize the opportunity to deliver a 'gold standard' service to a section of the community that, until now, has been very much excluded.
"We will provide recognition to businesses that don't only take allergies seriously, but that are going above and beyond legislation, to deliver an exceptional service for the allergic community."
New EU law introduced last December requires caterers to provide information on 14 top allergens. With admissions for anaphylaxis increasing by 615% in the past two decades, according to Allergy UK, raising awareness and educating caterers on food allergies is more crucial than ever.
