Leatherhead Food International (LFI), in collaboration with Campden BRI, is organising the May event with the aim, they claim, of encouraging greater awareness and management of allergens in the food industry.

Speakers will include representatives from the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA), Bernard Matthews Farms, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose, according to the food research group.

In addition, Neil Griffiths from the Anaphylaxis Campaign will also provide an overview of its new Standard, which is aimed at increasing consumer trust in information about allergens in food, said LFI.

The group added that the event will cover areas such as the tools available to enable business to manage allergens in the food chain, the prevalence of food allergies, allergen management thresholds, auditing, and retailer expectations.

In 2008, the FSA issued 63 allergy alerts on their website for incidents ranging from possible peanut cross-contamination, to undeclared wheat gluten, shellfish and egg, to incorrect allergen labelling of sulphur dioxide, a preservative used in foods. So far in 2009, there have been 15 allergy alerts.

More information on the event can be found here .