Takeaway workers jailed over peanut allergen death
Megan Lee, 15, suffered an allergic reaction to a dish she ordered from Royal Spice in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire in 2016.
Takeaway owner Mohammed Abdul Kuddus, 40, and manager Harun Rashid, 38, were sentenced to two and three years in jail yesterday (7 November).
According to a BBC report, the trial heard that Lee’s friend had ordered the meal with a note listing prawns and nuts as her allergies, though the meal was found to have “widespread presence” of peanut protein.
In the sentencing Mrs Justice Yid said the takeaway had no systems to manage allergens in its food.
“I hope this tragic case adds to the growing awareness in the food industry of what can happen if allergies are not taken seriously,” she said.
The hospitality industry has come under fresh scrutiny over its management of allergens. Pret A Manger is to begin listing all the ingredients in its fresh products after the death of 15-year-old girl who are one of its baguettes, which was not labelled as containing sesame seeds.
In 2016 restaurant owner Mohammed Zaman was jailed for six years for manslaughter after the death of a customer with a peanut allergy in what was thought to be the first case of its kind.
