ACF condemns restaurateur over peanut curry death
The Indian restaurant owner found guilty of the manslaughter of a guest has been condemned by the Asian Catering Federation (ACF) as a "callous individual".
Mohammed Khalique Zaman was yesterday jailed for six years having been found guilty of manslaughter after a man was reported to have died after eating food prepared at the restaurant.
Paul Wilson, died in January last year after suffering an anaphylactic reaction having eaten a takeaway from the Indian Garden restaurant in Easingwold, north Yorkshire.
ACF chairman Yawar Khan said: "This callous individual has done enormous damage to the hard working restaurateurs and their staff, who exercise meticulous customer care and strive to build their businesses.
"This was a needless tragedy and our thoughts go out to the victim's family."
Zaman denied he was responsible for the death, but the jury at Teeside Crown Court was told that he swapped almond powder for a cheaper ground nut mix containing peanuts.
Having eaten a takeaway from Indian Garden, bar manager Wilson died in the bathroom of the Oak Tree pub in Helperby, near Thirsk, where he worked.
Judge Simon Bourne-Arton said that Zaman had ignored warning from officials after a diner had suffered a reaction three weeks before Wilson's death. He said that Zaman had been "in complete and utter denial" and thrown away his £2m business "in pursuit of profit".
Wilson had specified "no nuts" in his chicken tikka masala, an instruction written on the order and on the takeaway lid.
Bourne Arton told Zaman: "He, like you, worked in the catering trade. He, unlike you, was a careful man."
Wilson's death sparked an investigation by the Food Standards Agency into the substitution of peanuts and almonds for more expensive cumin.
Khan added that the ACF, of which Zaman was not a member, was educating members about the dangers of allergens.
He said: "It is horrific that someone has died because a restaurant fails to follow standard procedures."
Restaurant owner found guilty of manslaughter following peanut allergy death >>
Restaurant owner charged with manslaughter over peanut death >>
