Bar manager Paul Wilson, 38, was meticulous about his condition and asked for “no nuts” when staff at the Indian Garden, Easingwold, North Yorkshire, cooked his chicken tikka masala takeaway in January 2014. He died from a severe anaphylactic shock.
Zaman’s trial was told he swapped almond powder in recipes for cheaper groundnut mix, containing peanuts, despite warnings.
Speaking outside court after Zaman was jailed, Martin Goldman, chief crown prosecutor for the CPS in Yorkshire and Humberside, said his conviction should send a very clear message to the catering industry. “There is a duty of care to your customers,” said Mr Goldman. “If you ignore your responsibilities and regulations and put lives at real risk then we will not hesitate to prosecute.”
There was clear negligence from Zaman in this case. Where the fault lies regarding several recent allergy-related deaths has yet to be established, although the Prime Minister has promised a review of food labelling laws after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, died from an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger sandwich.
But unless all food manufacturers and suppliers realise the deadly consequences that even one lapse can have for people with severe allergies, changes in the law may not be enough to prevent future tragedies.
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