A cafe owner who admitted to serving a milkshake to a 12-year-old girl who died from a severe allergic reaction has been fined £18,000.
Mia Shay St Hilaire passed away after consuming a milkshake believed to have contained traces of nuts at Bermondsey’s Pop Inn Café. The incident occurred on Wednesday, August 30 last year, while Mia was with her aunt and sister. Despite efforts by paramedics, Mia tragically died in the hospital.
Ahead of her inquest, Mia’s family has expressed support for the penalty and 100-hour community order imposed on 47-year-old café operator Baris Yucel. Yucel pleaded guilty to six criminal charges, including failing to provide visible allergen information, not managing allergen contamination during food preparation, and serving food containing allergenic ingredients that should not have been present.
An investigation by Southwark Council’s food safety team revealed that the milkshake prepared for Mia likely contained hazelnuts and almonds. CCTV footage showed Yucel failing to clean the blender before making Mia’s drink, leaving behind residues from a previous milkshake.
Southwark Council argued that Mia’s death could have been prevented if proper food safety measures had been followed. On Friday, Croydon Magistrates Court sentenced Yucel to 100 hours of community service and an £18,000 fine.
Mia’s parents, Adrian and Chanel, said: “We think of Mia every day, and knowing her death could have been so easily prevented only deepens our heartbreak. We hope this conviction sends a strong message to businesses across the country about the devastating consequences of neglecting food safety
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