12-Year-Old Girl Dies After Drinking Contaminated Milkshake Made in Unwashed Blender at Cafe

A 12-year-old girl died suddenly after she was allegedly exposed to a deadly food allergy at a cafe, according to her family. Mia Shay St. Hilaire, had a severe tree nut allergy and died on August 30, 2023, after drinking a milkshake at Pop Inn Cafe in London. Surveillance footage from the cafe allegedly shows Baris Yucel, 47, preparing the drink in a container left dirty in between uses. Experts believe the cross-contamination led to Mia’s deadly reaction.

According to Your Local Guardian, Yucel pleaded guilty in court to six charges, including serving food containing an allergen that should not have been present. The court subsequently sentenced him to an £18,000 fine, or about $22,000 US, and 100 hours of community service.

The girl’s parents, Adrian and Chanel St. Hilaire, released a statement via their attorney obtained by Your Local Guardian: “We think of Mia every day, and knowing her death could potentially have been prevented so simply, only adds to how heartbroken we are as a family.

“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.”

More from CafeMom: A Boomer Intentionally Poisoned My Son & Now I’m Thinking About Pressing Charges

Sadly, it seems Yucel did not know about the seriousness of food allergens and claimed he was not aware of the severity of Mia’s condition. The court reportedly believed he was sincerely remorseful.

He reportedly “took immediate steps to better educate himself in September and October 2023 and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.”

“Regrettably, the cafe were not notified by the child’s guardian that the child was allergic to tree nuts and the Judge stated that apart from the lack of signage as to notifying the establishment of any food allergies/intolerances, that this would not have prevented the tragic consequences which followed,” attorney Isin Vahib shared in a statement, per Your Local Guardian. “Mr Yucel has had to live with the consequences (of) what happened and a day does not go by when he does not think about the child and her family.”

The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, a food allergy charity in the UK, shared its desire for justice for Mia in a statement posted on Instagram. It reads in part, “While we welcome the fine and community order imposed on the café operator, we believe they do not reflect the gravity of what happened to Mia. How many more people must be hospitalised or die before all food operators realise these rules are not an optional extra, but essential for keeping their customers safe.”

One follower wrote, “Poor lovely girl with her whole life ahead of her has been taken due to ignorance AGAIN! Rest in complete peace lovely girl. More needs doing!!!!!”

Another agreed and commented, “This breaks my heart. It is tragic that people lose their lives due to this lack of training and protections to properly handle food allergies. My heart goes out to her family and prayers to all impacted by her loss. We HAVE to do better and make policy changes to upload the standard.”