London café fined following death of girl from allergic reaction

A café operator in south London has been fined £18,000 following the death of a 12-year-old girl after she had a fatal allergic reaction to a milkshake.

 

Mia-Shay suffered the allergic reaction after drinking the milkshake at Pop-Inn Café, on Southwark Park Road in Southwark, in August 2023. She had a tree nut allergy, and it is believed that hazelnuts and almonds were present in the drink.

 

CCTV evidence showed the cafe’s food business operator, Baris Yucel, had not cleaned the blender before preparing Mia-Shay’s drink and there were substances that caused her to suffer a severe allergic reaction left behind from the preparation of a previous milkshake. 

 

Following her death, Southwark Council’s food safety team led an investigation to identify food safety breaches.

 

During the investigation, officers identified six breaches in food law. A decision was then taken to prosecute Mr Yucel.

 

Yucel pleaded guilty to all six charges in a case brought forward by the council and heard on Friday 24 January 2025 at Croydon Magistrates Court.

 

These included not making allergen advice available or visible to consumers, failing to manage allergen contamination during the food production process, and serving food that contained an allergenic ingredient that was not supposed to be present. Yucel was also handed 100 hours of community order.

 

Councillor Natasha Ennin, cabinet member for community safety and neighbourhoods, said: “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 operator of the café had followed simple food safety rules, and our officers will continue to work with local businesses to help ensure these are followed by all food outlets in Southwark.”