The forum, which was organised by Elior's dietitians and nutritionists, was held at BT One Braham in London. The event welcomed the co-founders of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the UK’s food allergy charity and the technical director for Food Alert as guest speakers.
Elior UK organised the allergy and wellness forum to reinforce the importance of rigorously adhering to the company’s stringent allergen policies and enable employees to further expand their knowledge. The forum also included a knowledge quiz as well as guest suppliers showcasing allergy inclusive and free-from products.
Charlotte Wright, director of CSR & Wellness at Elior UK said: “Raising allergy awareness is critical at both an individual and business level. As a contract caterer, we fully understand the challenges and complexities of catering for people with food allergies and want to educate our teams as much as possible to mitigate risks. Catering for allergies is an ongoing conversation and the forum provided a platform for sharing knowledge, inspiring fresh ideas, and supporting our teams.”
Elior was joined by Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse OBE, co-founders of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation. Their child Natasha died aged 15 from a severe food allergic reaction.
They spoke about the drivers of allergic disease and the rising prevalence of allergies in the western world, as well as the current oral immunotherapy clinical trial that is underway to help achieve its mission ‘to make allergy history’.
Tanya added: “Raising awareness of allergies is a critical life purpose for me. I am delighted to join Elior for its allergy and wellness forum. It is so pleasing to see a contract caterer so dedicated to creating greater safety around allergies.”
Elior UK is a founding partner of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and supports its clinical trial with other founding partners.