Restaurant fined after diner suffers bad reaction
STAFF AT ITALIAN SERVED BREAD CONTAINING GLUTEN TO CUSTOMER WITH INTOLERANCE
A RESTAURANT customer fell ill after eating bread containing gluten which was advertised as being gluten-free, a court heard.
The diner, who is gluten intolerant, was sick and suffered from abdominal and chest pains after eating the sidedish at Mazzo on Radcliffe Street, Oldham.
They had specifically asked for a gluten-free portion of food.
Tony’s Italian Limited, trading as Mazzo, pleaded guilty to two charges under the food safety act 1990 at Tameside magistrates court.
The first charge is rendering food injurious to health by adding an article or substance to the food with intent that it shall be sold for human consumption.
The second charge is selling food which was not of the nature demanded by the purchaser.
The company was hit with a bill of £2,300 in total.
Speaking after the hearing, deputy leader of Oldham council, Coun Arooj Shah, said: “Our investigation established this incident was caused by human error but procedures must be in place to ensure there is no room for mistakes to happen. “Allergic reactions can make people very ill. Companies specifically advertising gluten free alternatives must ensure the food they provide is safe for customers with an intolerance, or face action.” The restaurant put up a status on its Facebook page on Wednesday afternoon saying: “We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the incident which was a genuine isolated mistake. “The customer was warned almost immediately however, we take full responsibility for what has happened.” Between one and two percent of adults and five to eight pc of children in the UK have a food allergy. That’s about two million people, and the figure doesn’t include those with food intolerances. The Food Information for Consumers Regulations requires that businesses provide accurate information on food sold without any packaging. Mazzo