12-year-old Mia St Hilaire lost her life to a preventable mistake—an unwashed blender at a cafe in south-east London. The BBC reports that in 2023, Mia, who was allergic to tree nuts, experienced a severe reaction after her order was thought to contain traces of hazelnuts and almonds from a previous milkshake made in the same blender at the Pop Inn Cafe on Southwark Park Road.
She passed away five days after being taken to the hospital. CCTV footage and other recent evidence from the Southwark Council’s food safety team revealed that Baris Yucel, the cafe’s operator, had not cleaned the blender before preparing Mia’s drink and that there were materials from a prior milkshake that had been left behind.
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Southwark Council said that this caused her to have a severe allergic reaction and that Mia’s death could have been avoided, according to the publication.
Adrian and Chanel St Hilaire, her parents, stated that they “think of Mia every day” and that “knowing her death could have been prevented simply only adds to how heartbroken we are as a family.”
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Yucel recently admitted to six criminal charges related to the Food Safety Act and was fined £18,000 (about $22,000) in addition to doing 100 hours of community service. Among other things, Yucel admitted to 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 should not have been present, among others, Wales Online reported.
“We hope this conviction and fine sends a loud message to businesses serving food and drinks across the country, of the devastating consequences of failing to take food safety seriously,” Mia’s family concluded.
Michelle Victor, who represented Mia’s family, stated that children with allergies should feel at ease while ordering food and beverages.
She said: “We are continuing to support Mia-Shay’s family and, while no outcome will ever make up for the loss they have suffered, this criminal prosecution is an important part of their fight to achieve justice for all those suffering with food allergies.”
Meanwhile, enforcement officers from Southwark Council have been visiting the Pop Inn Cafe to ensure it follows new procedures aimed at preventing contamination since Mia’s death.
An inquest into Mia’s death will take place at a future date.
