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In the wake of Natasha’s Law and the tragic circumstances that led to its inception and the inevitable introduction of Owen’s Law, allergens are a huge topic at present.

Ahead of the panel discussion a spokesperson for UCFF said: “In this session we have industry experts discussing what the implications might be to operators who fall short of legal compliance as well as some pointers on how best to implement safe and workable practices. We will also hear from two senior operators from large multi-site operations on how they manage allergens in their professional kitchens, the very real challenges they face and how they overcome them.”

The panel discussion featured:

• Patrick Harrington, product development manager at Greene King Pub Co
• Victoria Postle, senior company nutritionist at Greene King Pub Co
• Surendra Yejju, executive chef at Wagamama
• Dominic Teague, executive chef One Aldwych, 
• Caroline Benjamin, director of Food Allergy Aware
• Paul Carey, head of campaign for Owen’s Law

Paul opened the session by talking about the passing of his son Owen, who experienced an anaphylactic reaction in April 2017 when celebrating his birthday in London. Paul alongside the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are campaigning for a change in the law surrounding how allergy information is displayed in restaurants across the UK.

He noted that in Ireland information on allergen labelling has to be provided on menus, an app or a chalkboard. They are hoping that the simple change in labelling and staff training will prevent any future 'unnecessary' deaths of people with food allergies.

Patrick and Victoria from Green King stated they do ‘rigorous testing’ on their menus twice a year at the moment with a view to making it four times a year. As the company has over 30,000 employees they acknowledged it was a ‘big challenge’ to ensure that every member of staff was knowledgeable. They stressed that allergen information for staff needed to be digital to ensure that it was accessible for people to use.

Caroline said there was ‘so much more to do’ in terms of improving allergen training. She pointed out to audience members that the Food Standards Agency offer free allergen training for those who would like to use it. She stressed the importance of staff understanding allergens and making sure that it is not just a tick box exercise. 

Ian encouraged people to be proactive when they come into a restaurant or café as he said it was important to have conversations with the chefs, caterers or servers. He noted that food providers should have a legal obligation to provide accurate information on the food they serve.

Surendra mentioned that when people sit down as Wagamama they are asked about whether they have any food allergies. If they do the manager takes over the order to help ensure the dining experience is what people want. Wagamama, which does allergen training every few months, received praise from a member of the panel who said they always felt safe when visiting the restaurant.

Dominic noted that some restaurants are scared by the prospect of allergens. He told them to be upfront and honest with their guests about their ability to ensure people with allergies can eat at their establishment. Dominic did say that occasionally he has to turn away guests who certain allergies if he feels he cannot safely feed them.

The Trends and Debates Stage also featured sessions on Local Heroes, An Englishman Abroad, The English Wine Revolution and Grown Up Food. The Staff Canteen had five cooking demonstrations throughout the event from a variety of chefs.

Elsewhere at the Universal Cookery and Food Festival there was a foraging tour from Colin Wheeler-James where guests explored the wild flora and fauna that exists at Loddington Farm. James Smith, the owner of Loddington Farm, welcomed attendees to the event and also took them on a guided tour of the farm.