Boy could have died after eating peri peri chicken and chips at Leicester man's kebab shop, court hears

A kebab shop owner from Leicester has been told one of his customers could have died after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a serving of peri peri chicken and chips.

The boy and his family had asked staff at Akbar Ali's shop in Slough, Berkshire, whether the meal he wanted contained dairy or eggs, explaining he was profoundly allergic to both.

Assured by staff at Saqi Grill that the meal was safe for him, the boy tucked into his food, and moments later went into anaphylactic shock.

He was rushed to hospital where doctors later attributed his survival to his family’s speedy application of an epi-pen which he had been prescribed for use in case of an allergic reaction.

As a result of the incident in October last year, Slough Borough Council's trading standards team launched an investigation into Ali, of Thornholme Close, Beaumont Leys, and its manager, Abdul Rauf.

Investigators discovered the chicken in the boy's meal had been marinated in yoghurt before being cooked at the Chalvey Road West shop.

Ali and Rauf, of Ragstone Road, Slough, pleaded guilty to three counts of selling unsafe food containing allergens and a separate charge of incorrectly describing doner kebab meat as lamb when it also contained beef and chicken.

Judge Kirsty Real, sitting at Reading Crown Court, gave each defendant an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, ordered each to a complete 120 hours of unpaid community work and to pay £400 costs.

The company was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £4,000 costs.

Releasing details of the case, the borough council said both men had been given detailed advice on compliance with food hygiene standards on a number of occasions since December 2017.

Dean Cooke, a senior trading standards officer at the council, said: “This is a matter of life and death for some customers.

“Any food business must be able to tell customers what ingredients, and particularly allergenic ingredients, are present in the food that they sell.

“We are grateful for the result and that the justice system has acknowledged the seriousness of this blatant disregard for basic legal responsibilities.

“It is also welcome news to the victim’s family, who narrowly averted a potential tragedy.”

Councillor Pavitar K Mann, cabinet member for planning and regulation at the council, said: “Families who want to eat out, whether at a restaurant or takeaway, need to be sure that their food is safe.

“This is particularly important for people with allergies whose lives are in the hands of the restaurants, directors and managers who are responsible for training their staff.

"Customers deserve to enjoy food safe in the knowledge that they are not going to be made ill, or that the food they enjoy could threaten their lives.

“The council’s trading standards team have done a stellar job advising and then gathering evidence against this takeaway, and the other eateries in the town should take their advice seriously.”