The awards were inspired by the new EU allergen regulations, which came into effect in December 2014. All food service outlets are now required to tell their customers about any of the 14 allergens that may be on offer.
Wan Mak, head of nutrition and dietetics at Sodexo, said: “After such a successful launch last year, we are delighted to be sponsoring these awards for the second year.
“We believe they will help to raise awareness of the need to provide accurate information for allergy sufferers and those with other dietary restrictions.
“We feed over a million customers a year and we think it is so important that they all can eat out in safety and with confidence.”
The FreeFrom Eating Out Awards are run by the same team who run the FreeFrom Food Awards, which is now in its ninth year.
Categories for the 2015 awards will include, as last year:
• Cafés and teashops – sponsored by Can I eat there?
• Pubs and pub restaurants – sponsored by Green’s Gluten-free Beers
• Independent restaurants and restaurant chains – sponsored by Riso Gallo
• Hotels and guests houses – sponsored by Caterlyst
• Schools, colleges and universities – sponsored by Thomas Ridley Foodservice
• Foods manufactured for food service
Plus new for this year:
• Street food and takeaways – sponsored by Genon Laboratories
• Fish and chip shops– sponsored by Glebe Farm
• Corporate hospitality and catering – sponsored by Nairn's
Entry is now open and closes on August 28th. A shortlist will be published on October 7th, before the November awards ceremony, which will be presented by Antony Worrall Thompson, at Food Matters Live. Entry information can be found here.