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Chef Fined £2,300 After Serving Potentially Fatal 'Nut-Free' Curry

Chef Fined £2,300 After Serving Potentially Fatal 'Nut-Free' Curry

A chef at the Indian restaurant has been fined over £2,300.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

An Indian restaurant in Grimsby has come under fire after selling a potentially lethal curry to diners.

The chef at Masala restaurant in the Yorkshire town has been fined more than £2,300 ($3,100) for serving a 'nut-free' curry that actually contained traces of peanut, reports the Mirror.

The chicken korma was advertised a being safe for diners with nut allergies, but was found to contain traces of peanut high enough to cause someone with a severe allergy to go into fatal anaphylactic shock.

Mohammed Uddin, 44, of Masala Indian Cuisine on Victoria Street was found guilty of selling the contaminated dish, which contained more than 1.8 milligrams above what is considered a high-risk amount of peanut for an allergy sufferer.

The chef claimed that he had no idea how the peanut could have ended up in the curry, but he did accept that there had been cross-contamination.

The court heard that in January 2016, a test carried out by North East Lincolnshire Council's Trading Standards unit showed a korma dish sold at the restaurant contained traces of peanut.

Later on, another test was carried out by the same Trading Standards team yielded the same results.

In October 2016, a Trading Standards officer posing as a customer ordered a chicken korma from Masala Indian Cuisine, having been assured that the dish did not contain nuts.

Prosecutor Marcus Hirst said: "The sample was sent away for analysis, the dish provided at least 6.8 milligrams of peanuts. Anything above five milligrams could result in reaction for a high-risk individual.

"Mr Uddin was interviewed under caution and in that interview he said he did not put peanuts in the meal.

"He could not understand where the peanuts had come from. He said he used fresh pans and utensils for the order and said he does not use peanuts except for peanut butter for the bitter chicken dish.

"He said he orders all the ingredients himself. He has been a chef for 25 years."

Mr Uddin's solicitor Kate Fairburn said the chef was 'horrified' by what the Trading Standards officers had found and that he and the restaurant had since taken measures to ensure it does not happen again.

"Obviously, the defendant was horrified by what had been found and he said changes have been made to make sure such a thing won't happen again," Fairburn said.

"He said he uses peanut butter in one or two dishes, however this is stored well away from any food materials in the kitchen, it's clearly labelled and clean utensils are always used.

"It has been highlighted to him how cross-contamination can occur and he is very aware of it."

She added: "Unfortunately his business isn't doing very well and at the current time it is making a loss.

"This is the first time the business has been involved in any criminal cases. It has been an eye-opening experience."

Source: The Mirror

Featured Image Credit: Google Maps

Topics: Food, UK News