Following a customer experiencing an allergic reaction, Derby City Council Trading Standards has prosecuted the owner of Small’s Kitchen, Samantha Brauner.
Small’s Kitchen fulfilled an online order of protein balls in May 2024. The customer had asked whether they contained nuts on several occasions, with Ms Brauner saying they didn’t.
The case was heard at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court on Monday 30 June. Ms Brauner pleaded guilty to one charge of supplying unsafe food with undeclared allergens and one charge of selling food which was not of the nature, substance, or quality demanded by the purchaser.
She avoided a custodial sentence as a result of her early guilty plea, and was fined £1,920 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £768.
The Magistrates acknowledged the severity of the offences brought before them, highlighting the well documented consequences of neglecting allergen management responsibilities.
Councillor Shiraz Khan, cabinet member for Housing, Property, and Regulatory Services, said: “This is a situation that could have had disastrous consequences, which were fortunately avoided.
“Our Trading Standards team in securing this prosecution, which serves as a reminder to other businesses that they need to take their allergen management responsibilities seriously.
“We will continue to act in the best interests of the people of Derby, who should be able to have confidence in the products they are buying, particularly from local traders.”
