Nationwide — Mia St Hilaire, a 12-year-old Black girl from London, tragically di3d after consuming a milkshake at a local cafe that was prepared in an unclean blender, triggering a f@tal allergic reaction. The cafe owner has since been fined for food safety violations.

Mia reportedly ordered the milkshake at Pop Inn Cafe in Southwark Park in London. Shortly after drinking it, she suffered an allergic reaction and was rushed to the hospital, where she later di3d. She had a severe tree nut allergy, and authorities determined the milkshake triggered her anaphylactic shock, according to BBC.

CCTV footage revealed the cafe’s owner, Baris Yucel, failed to clean the blender before making Mia’s drink, leading to possible nut contamination from a previous order. Southwark Council confirmed the cross-contamination caused her f@tal reaction.

In December 2024, Yucel, 47, pleaded guilty to multiple food safety violations, including serving food with allergens, failing to provide allergen information, and neglecting cross-contamination risks. In January 2025, he was fined £18,000 (around $22,000) and sentenced to 100 hours of community service.

Mia’s parents, Adrian and Chanel, shared their grief, saying, “We think of Mia every day, and knowing her death could potentially have been prevented so simply, only adds to how heartbroken we are as a family.”

The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation condemned the incident in an Instagram post, calling for stricter enforcement of food safety rules, saying, “Food allergies are not a choice or preference, but a serious medical condition that can for some be f@tal. How many more people must be hospitalized or die before all food operators realize these rules are not an optional extra, but essential for keeping their customers safe?”

Despite the fine, the cafe remains open under local authority supervision and has since earned a five-star Food Hygiene Rating. Yucel’s lawyer said he deeply regrets the tragedy and constantly thinks of Mia and her family.

This incident occurred just a few months after a similar tragedy involving 13-year-old Hannah Jacobs, also from London, who suffered a f@tal allergic reaction shortly after taking a sip of hot chocolate at a London café.