Food allergy has now reached epidemic proportions in the UK where the personal, social and economic cost extends not only across the nation but affects other developed countries as well. This has prompted the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee to publish its report on allergy (September 2007) in which they conclude that evidence-based research into food allergy is urgently needed to ensure that sound scientific evidence underpins public policies. The aim of this first EuroScicon meeting on Food Allergy is to provide a wider perspective of the field. Meeting chairs; Dr. Kamal Ivory and Professor Claudio Nicoletti (Institute of Food Research,Norwich, UK).