A RESTAURANT has been fined after pleading guilty to causing a customer to suffer a severe allergic reaction.

The Garden of India, in York, served a customer with a severe pepper allergy an onion bhajii which contained pepper, despite the customer asking twice if it was safe to eat.

The restaurant owners pleaded guilty at York Crown Court on November 16 and were ordered to pay a total £10,721.

On February 9, the Garden of India served a customer an onion bhajii which contained green pepper.

The customer had checked twice when ordering and was told by an employee that there were no peppers in the bhajii.

The customer only realised this when she had eaten the food and began to go into anaphylactic shock.

On September 24, Garden of India (York) Ltd and its director Shahin Miah, 46, of Colwyn Road, Leeds, pleaded guilty to offences under the Food Safety Act 1990.

In mitigation, the business said it has been running for 26 years and this is only their second time in court, it’s willing to take advice and has improved a number of procedures already.

York Crown Court imposed a £3,334 fine for the company, a £1,800 fine for Mr Miah and £5,587.66 costs.

Cllr Andrew Waller, deputy leader of City of York Council, said: “This is a concerning case which illustrates the absolute need for businesses to recognise and act on the importance of food allergens and the law.

"Food businesses have a legal and moral responsibility to control allergen risks by knowing what’s in the food they serve, by avoiding cross contamination and training staff."

Advice is available at www.york.gov.uk/FoodSafetyStandards or call 01904-551525.