Three new sponsors have been signed up for the City Food Lecture, in January 2007.
The City Food Lecture, which took a year off in 2006 after Sainsbury’s ended its five-year sponsorship, will take place at the Guildhall in the City of London on January 23, 2007.
The lecture itself will be sponsored by the Food Standards Agency. The Real Good Food Company will be providing the post lecture buffet supper for delegates, and Nestle UK the accompanying wines and soft drinks.
The lecture was initiated in 2000 by the seven City Livery Companies involved in the food industry - the Bakers, Butchers, Cooks, Farmers, Fishmongers, Fruiterers and Poulters - the previous five lectures have attracted audiences of around 600.
The format of the Lecture, consisting of a high profile speaker addressing a topical food-related theme with a panel of experts responding to questions from the floor, will be maintained. The chair of the Food Standards Agency, Dame Deirdre Hutton, will chair the evening's proceedings. Laurence Olins, chairman of the 2007 organising committee and the architect of the event said: "We are delighted to have gained the support of three prominent sponsors and are particularly pleased to welcome the FSA's involvement. The good and the great of the food world always attend this notable occasion and we now look forward to welcoming the widest possible representative audience to Guildhall."
Hutton added: "The City Food Lecture is an excellent opportunity to bring together all those with an interest in the production and quality of food - as producers, retailers, consumers and campaigners - for a lively and challenging debate."