Café Operator Sentenced After Allergy Death: A Preventable Tragedy?
Posted by Emma on 29th Jan 2025
A South London café operator has been fined £18,000 and sentenced to 100 hours of community service after a 12-year-old girl suffered a fatal allergic reaction due to cross-contamination in food preparation. The incident, which took place at Pop-Inn Café on Southwark Park Road in August 2023, has reignited urgent discussions around food safety, allergen management, and business accountability.
Mia St Hilaire, who had a severe tree nut allergy, suffered anaphylaxis after drinking a milkshake that contained traces of hazelnuts and almonds. An investigation revealed that the drink had been prepared in an unwashed blender, which had been previously used to make another milkshake containing nuts. The café’s operator, Baris Yucel, failed to clean the equipment before serving the drink, leading to the tragic contamination.
Southwark Council’s food safety team immediately investigated the café, uncovering multiple breaches of food hygiene regulations. Yucel pleaded guilty to six offences under the Food Safety Act in a case heard at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 24 January 2025. These included failing to provide clear allergen information to customers, inadequate contamination control during food production, and serving food that contained undeclared allergens.
The case has sparked widespread outrage, with Mia’s parents, Adrian and Chanel St Hilaire, expressing their devastation. “We think of Mia every day,” they said. “Knowing her death could potentially have been prevented so simply only adds to how heartbroken we are as a family.”
CCTV footage presented in court showed Yucel’s failure to follow basic food hygiene procedures, reinforcing the argument that Mia’s death was entirely avoidable. Southwark Council described the incident as a stark reminder of the consequences of neglecting allergen safety.
Councillor Natasha Ennin, cabinet member for community safety and neighbourhoods, voiced her concern: “What happened to Mia-Shay is a tragedy, and my heart goes out to her family and the people who loved her. This might have been avoided if the café operator had followed simple food safety rules. Our officers will continue to work with local businesses to ensure food outlets in Southwark meet the required standards.”
Mia’s death has intensified calls for stricter enforcement of food allergen regulations, particularly in small independent food businesses. Campaigners argue that clear allergen labelling and rigorous staff training should be non-negotiable requirements.
An inquest into Mia’s death is expected to take place at a later date. Still, for many, the case has already highlighted a fundamental failure in food safety standards—one that, tragically, cost a young girl her life.