The parents of a 12-year-old girl who died from an allergic reaction after drinking a contaminated milkshake have said she “will never be forgotten” as an inquest into her death concluded.
Mia Shay St Hilaire suffered a severe allergic reaction after drinking a Twix milkshake at the Pop Inn Cafe, Southwark Park Road, London, while visiting with her aunt and sister in August 2023. The youngster, from Sydenham, had a hazelnut allergy.
The drink she consumed contained hazelnut from a previous milkshake made in the same blender. CCTV evidence showed that cafe operator Baris Yucel had not cleaned the blender before preparing Mia’s milkshake.
Inquest conclusion
Assistant coroner Briony Ballard listened to evidence at London Inner South Coroner’s Court before publishing a narrative conclusion on Mia’s death. She said Mia had consumed some of a Twix milkshake “which had been cross-contaminated with hazelnut residue from a Kinder Bueno milkshake previously prepared in the same unwashed blender. She developed rapidly progressing anaphylaxis and later collapsed at her aunt’s home.”
Despite extensive emergency treatment and being transferred to intensive care at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Mia died, the verdict said.
Family’s call for change
Mia’s parents, Adrian and Chanel, said in a statement: “We would like to thank the coroner for her careful and thorough investigation into the death of our beautiful daughter, Mia. We are grateful for the time and attention given to understanding what happened and for ensuring that Mia’s voice has been heard.
“We are convinced that significant changes are needed to protect people living with food allergies. Consumers rely on food hygiene ratings when deciding where it is safe to eat, but they do not tell us anything about the way a food business runs allergy management systems.
“There should be a separate, clearly displayed rating dedicated to allergy management, like the food hygiene rating. This would mean that people with allergies could make informed choices about where they eat.
“For families living with food allergies, eating out should not mean they are at risk. We hope that lessons will be learned from Mia’s death and that changes will be made to prevent other families enduring the devastation that we now have to live with.
“No family should ever have to lose a child in these circumstances. If the local authority had ensured that the cafe’s allergy management responsibilities had been properly understood, and put into practice, we believe Mia would still be alive today.
“We want to make sure that change is Mia’s legacy so that we can help to save lives in the future. Mia was, and is, deeply loved and she will never be forgotten.”
Legal action and response
Southwark Council brought a case against the cafe. It said in January 2025 that Mr Yucel had pleaded guilty to all six offences in the case. 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. Mr Yucel was fined £18,000 and handed a 100-hour community order.
Michelle Victor, partner at law firm Leigh Day, which represents Mia’s parents, said: “Today marks the conclusion of an incredibly difficult and painful process for Mia’s family who have shown remarkable strength, dignity and determination in seeking answers surrounding her death.
“The evidence has highlighted serious concerns about the way food allergies are understood, managed and monitored within the food service industry. Mia’s death demonstrates the potentially catastrophic consequences that can arise when allergy management systems are not robustly implemented, monitored and enforced.
“The family therefore call upon the Food Standards Agency and relevant authorities to review the current framework governing food allergy safety and consider meaningful reforms.”
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, founder of Natasha’s Foundation whose daughter died aged 15 from an allergy to sesame in a Pret baguette, said: “The inquest into Mia’s death illustrates just how far we still have to go to improve awareness, understanding and regulation of food allergies.
“Food allergies are not a preference or a choice, they are a serious, unpredictable medical condition which for some, like Mia, can be fatal. Everyone has a responsibility to keep people with food allergies safe – families, schools, workplaces, cafes and restaurants, regulators and government…
“Natasha’s Foundation is working hard with business, schools, communities and the Government to increase awareness and understanding of food allergies to try to prevent other families from having to go through the terrible loss that Mia’s family endure. Food allergen regulations should be as important as food hygiene. Yet the current different systems for monitoring food allergen are inadequate.”
