A woman who suffered a near fatal allergic reaction after eating a cupcake has succeeded in legal action against the café which sold it to her.
Siobhan Gosrani, 24, went into acute anaphylactic shock within moments of taking a bite of the icing on a lemon cake which was labelled as “wheat and sugar free” but had no warning it contained cashew nuts.
Tiosk, in Broadway Market, East London, has now admitted liability after Ms Gosrani’s law firm Slater and Gordon argued it should have alerted her to the potentially lethal allergen.
Siobhan, who has had a serious nut allergy since birth, has called on retailers to be far more rigorous with their food labelling in order to prevent a fatal mistake occurring.
Describing her ordeal, which took place in January this year, the health care worker, said: “I knew within a second of biting into it that I was having a severe reaction. It was like a massive rush. I could feel my throat closing up and an intense prickling sensations going down my throat. It felt like my throat was drying up.
Siobhan left the café and dialled 999 as she took a cab to her nearby home in Dalston, East London, where paramedics arrived within minutes to administer emergency treatment. But her condition continued to decline and she was rushed to the Royal London Hospital where doctors were able to stabilise her.
Siobhan added: “I’m still feeling the effects now. This has totally shaken my confidence. If it’s taught me anything it’s that anyone with an allergy should never assume the labelling on loose food means you’re safe; double and triple check with the people selling the food or the chef.
Her lawyer Harminder Kang, of Slater and Gordon, said: “This is an extremely serious case. Allergic reactions to food ingredients can kill. The law puts the onus on the retailer to display a warning if something contains nuts.