Girl, 12, died after allergen-contaminated milkshake caused fatal reaction
Mia Shay St Hilaire, 12, died after drinking a Twix milkshake at a south London café that was contaminated with hazelnut residue from a Kinder Bueno shake. An inquest concluded that the café’s failure to control allergen contamination caused her fatal anaphylactic reaction, highlighting the potentially severe consequences of inadequate food safety practices.
Mia took two sips before recognising the drink contained nuts; she later collapsed at home and died despite emergency treatment. CCTV showed the blender had not been cleaned between drinks, and a council inspection five days later found evidence of cross-contamination and inadequate allergen information. The café operator pleaded guilty to six offences in January 2025 and was fined £18,000 and given a 100-hour community order. The inquest also heard Mia received a lower-than-correct adrenaline auto-injector dose, though the coroner said the correct dose would not have prevented her death.
- A contaminated milkshake caused Mia’s fatal allergic reaction.
- The café blender had not been cleaned between drinks.
- The operator was fined £18,000 and ordered to do community work.
New here? Start with this
Food allergies can be life-threatening, and people with severe allergies depend on restaurants and cafés to prevent contamination. This story concerns a tragic incident in south London that highlights the potential consequences when those safeguards fail.
A twelve-year-old girl with a severe nut allergy died after drinking a milkshake contaminated with hazelnut residue from another drink. The café had used the same blender without properly cleaning it between drinks, allowing the allergen to transfer to the child's drink.
The incident raises questions about how food businesses handle allergen safety and the seriousness with which they treat these responsibilities. For people with severe allergies, proper contamination controls are essential to their safety.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Daily Mail as “Schoolgirl, 12, with nut allergy died after taking two sips of Twix milkshake from cafe’s unwashed blender, inquest hears”.