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Officials in England have concluded their investigation into the tragic death of Mia-Shay St Hilaire, a 12-year-old girl who died in 2023 after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a milkshake prepared in an unwashed blender. Now, her parents are calling for stronger food safety regulations across Britain.

According to reports from the BBC, The Metro, and The Independent, the inquest concluded on Oct. 8 at Inner South London Coroner’s Court. Mia-Shay became critically ill after drinking a milkshake at the Pop Inn Café in Bermondsey, London, in August 2023. She had visited the café with her aunt and sister.

Assistant Coroner Briony Ballard concluded that the milkshake “cross-contaminated with hazelnut residue from a Kinder Bueno milkshake previously prepared in the same unwashed blender,” The Independent noted. Mia-Shay “developed rapidly progressing anaphylaxis” and “later collapsed at her aunt’s home.”

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CCTV footage showed café operator Baris Yucel preparing the drink in a blender that had not been cleaned after being used to make a previous milkshake, according to multiple reports.

Mia-Shay, a native of Sydenham, who had a known hazelnut allergy, suffered a fatal reaction despite efforts to save her life. She was rushed to the intensive care unit at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, but doctors were unable to save her, the outlets reported.

Mia-Shay’s parents, Adrian St Hilaire and Chanel Spence, are now calling for greater transparency and clearer allergen labeling at restaurants and cafés. In a statement shared with the BBC, they stressed that families managing food allergies should not be put “at risk” when dining out.

“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,” they said.”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.”

The grieving parents added, “There should be a separate, clearly displayed rating dedicated to the allergy management, like the food hygiene rating.This would mean that people with allergies could make more informed choices about where they eat.”

Read more about the case of 12-year-old Mia-Shay St Hilaire and the charges brought forth against Yucel after the flip.

In January 2025, Baris Yucel pleaded guilty to six food safety offences following legal action brought by Southwark Council, according to a council press release. He was subsequently fined £18,000 and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service at Croydon Magistrates’ Court.

The offences included failing to make allergen information available or visible to customers, not adequately preventing allergen contamination during food preparation, and serving food containing an allergenic ingredient that should not have been present, the council said.

Following Mia-Shay’s death, Southwark Council’s food safety team launched an investigation into potential breaches of food safety regulations. Officers inspected the Pop Inn Café, identified violations of food law, and decided to prosecute Yucel. He ultimately pleaded guilty to all six offences.

In a 2025 statement to local newspaper Southwark News, Yucel’s lawyer addressed the case and his client’s record in the food industry.

“Prior to sentencing Mr Yucel, District Judge Dean commented that the 47-year-old defendant was of previous good character and that throughout the 22 years in the food business, there have been no previous incidents reported against him.”

The lawyer added, “Pop Inn Café had a good food safety record and the Judge accepted that Mr Yucel had shown genuine remorse. He took immediate steps to better educate himself in September and October 2023 and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. 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.”

Following the investigation, the enforcement officer responsible for visiting the café ensured that procedures designed to prevent a similar incident were introduced. The officer also conducted several follow-up visits to confirm that the new measures were being maintained.

Cllr Natasha Ennin, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Neighbourhoods, expressed her condolences to Mia-Shay’s loved ones and stressed the importance of following food safety requirements.

“What happened to Mia-Shay is a tragedy and my heart goes out to her family and the people who loved her. This might have been avoided if the operator of the café had followed simple food safety rules, and our officers will continue to work with local businesses to help ensure these are followed by all food outlets in Southwark.”

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