The partnership will see Dolce donate annually to the charity and help support its vital research and education work. Dolce, which specialises in catering for the education sector, works with over 650 primary and secondary schools across England and Wales providing 125,000 meals for pupils every day.
Scott Curtis, managing director at Dolce Catering, said: “We cater for over 100,000 children every day, and know all too well how many young people are impacted by food allergies. It can feel hugely scary for parents to put their trust in caterers to feed their child safely while they are at school.
“We’ve worked with many families to put bespoke allergen-free menus in place, implement staff training to ensure the kitchen space is kept allergen-safe and set up communication channels, so they are aware of how their child’s allergy will be managed while they are at school.
“When we spoke with Nadim and Tanya we learned more about the trials they are conducting, where they are micro dosing children with allergens, getting them to the point where they can eat a handful of peanuts, whereas before less than one could have killed them.
“The potential impact this could have on our industry is huge and will change lives. We’re a family business and humbled to be in a position to be able to support The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.”
The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation was founded in 2019 by Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse after their daughter Natasha died aged 15 from a severe allergic reaction to sesame.
It is the only allergy charity dedicated to medical research. It wants to understand what is causing the rise in allergic disease and develop ways to prevent, treat and ultimately eradicate it, creating a world that is safe for everyone.
Through campaigning, education and research, the charity’s mission is to #MakeAllergyHistory, in particular food allergy, and improve the lives of the millions of people in the UK living with allergies.
Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBEs, founders of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, shared: “The unprecedented rise in allergic disease over the last 30 years means there has never been a more important time to understand what is fuelling the global allergy epidemic.
“So many people today are living with a food allergy, including one in 13 schoolchildren. We are so pleased to have Dolce on board supporting us. It’s support like this which enables us to continue our medical research and campaign work, and continue on our mission to #MakeAllergyHistory.”