Catering Scotland

Allergy UK, the leading national charity providing support and information for those living with allergic disease, is sponsoring the new Alternative Class category of this year’s National Ice Cream Competition at the Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show 2020. Judged on the first two days of the show, which takes place from 11th-13th February at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate, the competition is aims to identify and celebrate the leading ice creams available in the UK.

In addition to delivering a seminar on Wednesday 12th February which will focus on allergen management, the charity will also man an information desk at the show.

Affecting around 8% of children and 2% of adults, food allergies are estimated to affect over 1.9m people in the UK and between 1992 and 2012 there was a 615% increase in the rate of hospital admissions for anaphylaxis in the UK.

With this in mind, Allergy UK will be promoting its Allergy Aware scheme for all catering outlets, including ice cream parlours, in which staff have been trained in food allergen management in every aspect of their business.

Yorica, a UK-based manufacturer of a range of ice creams that are free from the top 14 food allergens, is the first company in the sector to be recognised by the Allergy Aware scheme.

Ice Cream Alliance CEO, Zelica Carr, said: ‘We are delighted to be partnering with Allergy UK, who will prove an invaluable source of information on how our sector can manage the risks associated with food allergies.’

The Ice Cream and Artisan Food Show 2020 is  free for the trade and takes place at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate, from 11^th-13^th February. Visit www.ice-cream.org for information on attending, exhibiting and how to register. More details on the Allergy Aware scheme can be found at: www.allergyuk.org/information-and-advice/for-caterers.