Sysco has begun a three-year strategic partnership with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, to help support the company’s allergy prevention systems.
All Sysco GB operating companies, Country Choice, kff, Medina Foodservice, Brakes and Fresh Direct will be supporting the campaign through their businesses with plans to raise awareness through a number of key activities including events, webinars and video.
Across its operating companies, Sysco GB has already raised awareness of the importance of food allergy and provide customers with solutions. Country Choice, for example, has developed its own bespoke labelling solution, directly linked to a constantly updated database, to help businesses serving food to ensure that allergens are clearly labelled on food to go products. Brakes offers a similar solution through its Virtual Chef system.
However, with up to 3m people in the UK living with food allergies, there is a need to ensure that clear and consistent allergy information is provided everywhere, whether that is a convenience store, school, pub or restaurant.
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Paul Nieduszynski, chief commercial officer for Sysco GB, said: “Awareness of the importance of allergen labelling has grown massively in the past few years, thanks in no small part to the work of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.
“However, we know there are still a lot of gaps in both knowledge and application and we want our partnership with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation to be the catalyst for a renewed campaign to put allergy labelling at the very top of the food agenda and support The Foundation’s aim of ending food allergies.”
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, co-founder at The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation said “We are really pleased to receive ongoing support from Sysco GB whose business in the food sector spreads far and wide. The mission of Natasha’s Foundation is to make food allergy history through discovery science and awareness so that food allergy can be dialled back down and people can lead better and inclusive lives around food. As food allergy grows bigger each year it is more important than ever to tackle the issue head on and without delay. The support from Sysco GB will help Natasha’s Foundation to deliver on its mission and improve the lives of millions of children, teenagers and adults.”
