Asian restaurateurs unite against Yorkshire curry house killer

AN organisation representing Asian caterers has condemned the 'reckless' Indian restaurant owner in North Yorkshire who was jailed for six years after being convicted of killing a customer with a nut allergy.
File picture of Mohammed Zaman from York, arriving at Teesside Combined Court Centre, accused of manslaughter of a customer with a peanut allergy at his Indian restaurant India Garden in Easingwold, North Yorkshire.File picture of Mohammed Zaman from York, arriving at Teesside Combined Court Centre, accused of manslaughter of a customer with a peanut allergy at his Indian restaurant India Garden in Easingwold, North Yorkshire.
File picture of Mohammed Zaman from York, arriving at Teesside Combined Court Centre, accused of manslaughter of a customer with a peanut allergy at his Indian restaurant India Garden in Easingwold, North Yorkshire.

Mohammed Zaman, 53, from Huntington, York, was convicted of the manslaughter of 38-year-old Paul Wilson, who suffered a fatal reaction after being served a dish cooked with a groundnut mix containing peanuts.

Mr Wilson was meticulous about his condition and had asked for a chicken tikka masala with “no nuts” from the Indian Garden in Easingwold in January 2014.

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Teeside Crown Court heard that Zaman, said to have almost £300,000 of business debts, switched from almond powder to the cheaper ingredient to cut costs. He did that despite warnings of the dangers to people with allergies.

In a statement released today, Yawar Khan, chairman of the Asian Catering Federation, described the death as a “needless tragedy”.

He said: “This callous individual has done enormous damage to the hardworking restaurateurs and their staff, who exercise meticulous customer care and strive to build their businesses.”

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Mr Khan added: “We have been educating members about the utmost importance of good hygiene control and the dangers of allergens, it is horrific that someone has died because a restaurant fails to follow standard procedures.”

Separately, council bosses in Mr Wilson’s native Sheffield have urged local business to be clear about what is in the food they serve after revealing that several are not complying with new regulations about labelling.

Of the 29 in the city visited by trading standards officials, only 45 per cent were found to be fully complying with Food Standards Agency regulations obliging them to inform customers about allergenic ingredients. Ten per cent were said to be not complying at all.

Changes in December 2014 to food labelling legislation mean that food outlets need to inform customers, if asked, when any of 14 specific allergenic ingredients including peanuts, egg and milk, are in the food they make or serve.

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Food businesses have flexibility in how they provide allergy information. This can be communicated verbally through explanations by staff or signposted to where or how more information can be found on menus or in additional leaflets.

Bryan Lodge, Sheffield Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “Due to the risk of a serious allergic reaction or death, businesses who continue to ignore the law could face legal action by Trading Standards and or the police.

“We would like to hear from any members of the public who think that they have visited a business that isn’t compliant with the regulations. There really is no excuse now as advice on how to comply is freely available”.