12-YEAR-OLD GIRL DIES AFTER DRINKING MILKSHAKE — A SINGLE CLEANING MISTAKE HAD TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES

A family’s heartbreaking loss has renewed calls for stronger food allergy safety rules after a UK inquest found that a contaminated milkshake contributed to the death of a 12-year-old girl.

Mia Shay St Hilaire died in August 2023 after drinking a milkshake at Pop Inn Café in Bermondsey, London. She had a known hazelnut allergy and had ordered a Twix milkshake while visiting the café with her aunt and sister.

According to evidence presented at the inquest, the blender had previously been used to prepare a Kinder Bueno milkshake containing hazelnuts. CCTV showed that the equipment was not washed before Mia’s drink was made.

Hazelnut residue contaminated the milkshake, triggering a rapidly progressing, life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis. Mia later collapsed at her aunt’s home and was rushed to hospital, where she died despite emergency treatment.

The café operator, Baris Yucel, had pleaded guilty in January 2025 to six food safety offences, including failures involving allergen information and contamination controls. He was fined £18,000 and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.

Following the inquest’s conclusion in October 2026, Mia’s parents called for stronger protections for people with food allergies. They want food businesses to display a separate allergy-management rating, arguing that a standard hygiene score does not necessarily show how effectively a café prevents allergen cross-contamination.

Their message is simple: people with food allergies should be able to order food and drinks without fearing that an ingredient they must avoid could be present accidentally.

Mia’s death is a devastating reminder that even traces of an allergen can have fatal consequences for someone with a severe allergy — and that careful cleaning, accurate allergen information and proper food-handling procedures matter.

Her family hopes that meaningful changes will help prevent another family from experiencing the same loss.

Sources:

PEOPLE

The Independent