A 12-year-old girl dies from an allergic reaction after drinking a milkshake contaminated with nuts because the owner had not properly cleaned the blender.
Mia-Shay St Hilaire drank the shake poisoned with hazelnuts and almonds at Pop-Inn Café, in south-east London, while visiting with her aunt and sister in August 2023.
Café Owner Charged Sentenced to £18,000 Fine, 100 Hours of Community Service
The fatal drink triggered her treenut allergy, which has since led to the café's food business operator, Baris Yucel, pleading guilty to six charges. He was hit with an £18,000 fine and handed 100 hours of community service following his hearing at Croydon Magistrates Court on Friday, Jan 24.
His charges 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.
Remnants of Previous Drink in Blender Caused Mia's Allergic Reaction
According to prosecutors, CCTV evidence showed Mr Yucel had not cleaned the blender properly before making Mia's drink. The remnants of nuts in the blender, left behind from the preparation of a previous milkshake, caused her to suffer a severe allergic reaction.
Cllr 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."
Baris Yucel's lawyer said: "I represented Mr Baris Belgin at the Croydon Magistrates Court on January 24 2025 with respect to his sentencing hearing for six breaches of the Health & Safety Regulations. He pleaded guilty to these offences and was given a Community Order and fines and costs amounting to £18,000.00.
"Prior to sentencing Mr Yucel, District Judge Dean commented that the 47 year old defendant was of previous good character and that throughout the 22 years in the food business, there have been no previous incidents reported against him. Pop Inn Café had a good food safety record and the Judge accepted that Mr Yucel had shown genuine remorse.
