The ‘mock trial’ event aims to explore the legal responsibilities of catering to customers with food allergies and the consequences of getting it wrong. The event will take place on Tuesday 26th September 2023.
Attendees will hear from the legal team, including Tom Walker at Blake Morgan for the prosecution, and Stuart Jessop for the defence, on a scenario based in a hotel restaurant, but this could easily occur within any sector of the hospitality sector. The mix of attendees leads to proactive discussions on allergen management from all sectors of the hospitality industry.
There will be a prosecution and defence barristers in attendance with a judge presiding over the sentencing hearing. The audience will participate as the jury making the decisions on the seriousness of the offence, to set the fine, and imprisonment if appropriate.
Caroline Benjamin, director of Food Allergy Aware, commented: “I wish that I never needed to visit any food service establishments to conduct food allergy training and that restaurants were totally safe for those with allergies, but we continually hear about mistakes, bad practice and companies who are not aware of the risks.
"Until food allergies are taken seriously everywhere we will continue to raise awareness, train, and educate. Participating in the mock trial really brings home all the areas where mistakes can happen.”
Who should attend:
- Management responsible for the food, beverages and food safety
- Executive and head chefs responsible for creating menus and purchasing
- Health and safety managers responsible for group provision of allergen management
There will also be a range of speakers including the Food Standards Agency update on what’s coming next. Belinda Stuart-Moonlight will speak about what went wrong in the tragic death of Celia Marsh when she purchased a vegan wrap from Pret-a-Manger. Belinda, an expert witness will review the inquest findings and lessons learnt.
Iain Ferris will walk attendees through Improvement Notices from a Hospitality and Local Authorities perspective, and how they can work together to keep the FHS customer safe. For more information and to book your place, visit here.