Julianne Ponan MBE, CEO of allergy-friendly food brand Creative Nature, is leading a new allergy safety clinic for airlines and caterers after playing a pivotal role in designing SkyRate, the independent airline allergy online review platform.
The World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) has partnered with SkyRate to launch the SkyRate Clinic at WTCE 2027, taking place at Hamburg Messe from April 6 to 8, 2027.
For Julianne, who founded SkyRate and is WTCE’s Special Diets Ambassador, the clinic is the next step in a long-standing mission to support and represent everyone living with allergies and anaphylaxis.
“We know first-hand what it is like to travel worrying that your allergens or dietary needs won’t be taken seriously,” Julianne said. “Airlines and caterers want to get this right, and we want to support them as they do.”
An estimated 220 to 250 million people worldwide live with a food allergy, with millions more managing intolerances or special diets (World Allergy Organisation, 2025). For many, booking a flight still carries uncertainty over whether cabin crew will know the correct protocol around allergies and follow it throughout the journey.
Julianne designed the online platform SkyRate to close that information gap with real-life passenger reviews and scores. Each airline receives a two-part score weighted 70% Allergy Safety and 30% Dietary and Transparency. The question set draws on more than seven years of airline allergy audits, and airlines cannot influence or pay for their own scores, so ratings reflect what passengers report and their lived experience in the air.
The platform is endorsed by leading allergy experts including Dr Melissa Adamski, WTCE Nutrition Ambassador and Founder of Nutted Out Nutrition, and Adam Fox OBE, Professor in Paediatric Allergy.
Hosted at the WTCE Ambassador Hub each day of the 2027 show, the clinic will give airlines, caterers and suppliers a space to discuss allergen handling, labelling, crew training and onboard communication, and to leave with practical steps to improve passenger safety and elevate their SkyRate score.
Conversations will start with the passenger reviews behind each airline score. Airlines will be able to see whether service breaks down at booking, in catering, in crew communication or at boarding. Caterers and food brands will see which product gaps come up repeatedly, from items that are not sealed or clearly labelled to a single special meal being the only safe option.
“Every improvement made onboard changes what a flight feels like for someone who has been anxious about it,” Julianne said. “We’re looking forward to hearing visitors’ questions at the clinic to make onboard travel easier and safer.”
Shona Thomson, Event Manager of WTCE, said:
“There is no single way to make food and beverage onboard allergen-free overnight, and that is why we are partnering with SkyRate. The clinic will run every day of WTCE 2027 and give visitors free access to passenger reviews, expert guidance, and the time to work through these challenges so they leave with a clear plan for their own operations. We look forward to hosting these important conversations, showing safer, more inclusive travel is good for passengers and good for business.”
Clinic sessions will be free to attend and will open for booking from January 2027. For more information and to register, visit the website
Creative Nature produces snacks and baking mixes free from the top 14 allergens, and many of its products are now stocked by many airlines. For more information, visit the website.
