Should Restaurants Be Held Liable?

Today, we read a story about a British restaurant owner, Mohammed Zaman, who was convicted of manslaughter in the United Kingdom because a man eating at his restaurant died due to a peanut allergy.

Paul Wilson, the man who passed away, ordered a chicken tikka masala takeout meal from Zaman’s Indian restaurant in 2014. At the time of his order, he made the staff aware that he was severely allergic to peanuts. Despite his warning, the food that he ordered did come with peanuts, and shortly after eating the meal at home, he went into severe anaphylactic shock.

Zaman had apparently replaced almond powder used in his recipes with a cheaper mix that also included peanuts, leading prosecutors to believe that he valued profits over his customers’ safety.

After reading this story, our hearts break for Paul Wilson. After all, he did clearly tell the staff that he was allergic to peanuts, so what else could he have done? Regardless of how you sad the story is, what do you think of the outcome? Should restaurant owners like Mohammed Zaman be held liable for allergic reactions? Is a manslaughter conviction just? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

Xo

Iris

Iris Shamus Wife, mother to three awesome kids and founder/CEO of AllerMates. Based in New York, Iris and her team create helpful content, answer emails, ship their products and obsess every day about keeping kids safe.