How THE UK Events Industry Is Standardizing Dietary Needs Management

How THE UK Events Industry Is Standardizing Dietary Needs Management

From Eating at a Meeting by Tracy Stuckrath, CFPM, CMM, CSEP, CHC

May 19, 2026 · 58 min · Episode 367

About this episode

The episode discusses the UK events industry's new toolkit for managing dietary needs at events, featuring insights from key industry figures.

Here's something that doesn't get said enough: the biggest food allergy risk at your event doesn't start in the kitchen. It starts the moment your registration form goes live. To kick off Food Allergy Awareness Week, I'm getting into exactly that — and I've got the right people at the table. The UK events industry just launched something the sector has needed for a long time: the ABPCO Managing Dietary Requirements at Events Toolkit. A shared language. Standardized processes. A way to get planners, venues, caterers, and delegates finally on the same page. I'm talking with the three people who made it happen — Anita Macdonald, who leads the ABPCO taskforce and translates dietary needs into kitchen reality at Cambridge's college venues. Sammy Connell, who manages 60+ conferences a year at NASUWT and lives the in-house organizer reality every single day. And Matt Stalker, Executive Director of ABPCO, who decided the industry didn't need another webinar — it needed infrastructure. We're going to talk about where dietary communication actually breaks down, what it costs when it does, and what it looks like when you get it right. Safety. Inclusion. Delegate confidence. Operational…

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