02/11/2025
The owners of a now closed London restaurant have been fined £45,000 after they failed to safely store and prepare gluten free meals following a serious incident involving a 7-year-old boy with a severe wheat allergy.
Trocadero (London) Hotel Limited, who owned the then popular Rainforest Cafe restaurant, pleaded guilty to all five offences at Southwark Crown Court following a complex allergen investigation led by Westminster City Council’s Food and Health & Safety Team.
The case dates back to October 2021, when a customer reported that her 7-year-old son became seriously ill after eating a meal at the restaurant which was advertised as gluten-free. The child, who suffers from a severe wheat allergy, was subsequently hospitalised following the incident.
Upon inspection, council officers found multiple breaches of food hygiene legislation. There were no adequate procedures in place to ensure gluten free food items could be safely served to customers as well as limited training for members of staff in handling food containing allergens.
There was also no adequate supervision or training for staff on how to effectively communicate allergen information to customers. Additional lapses included failure to store gluten containing burger buns separately from gluten free buns and a lack of equipment for handling or preparing gluten free food resulting in a risk of cross contamination.
The investigation further revealed that the restaurant’s food safety management system did not include documented procedures or records for the safe preparation of gluten-free meals, in breach of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) principles.
The Rainforest Café, which opened in 1997, permanently closed in 2022. The child involved in the incident has since made a full recovery.
Cllr Aicha Less, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Public Protection at Westminster City Council said: “The lapses in public safety in this case fall well below the standard we expect for restaurants in Westminster. I want to thank the Food and Health & Safety Team for their hard work and perseverance. Customers should have peace of mind when dining out in the city.”
