Girl taken to hospital with allergic reaction after eating at Tim Hortons

It is alleged that on July 9, an 18-month-old girl suffered a severe allergic reaction after eating a ‘Timmies mini ham and cheese melt, fries and fruit shoot’ meal.

Dudley Council’s food safety officers followed the complaint up with an inspection at the fast-food chain on July 11 and have given the premises a two-star hygiene rating.

Tim Hortons say they take the standards within their restaurants 'very seriously'. 

In the inspection report, it states a customer requested a meal for their daughter and told staff the child had a severe nut allergy.

The complainant said no documentation was checked by the member of staff taking the order.  

Inside Tim Hortons.

The report adds: “It has also been brought to our attention that during a previous visit to the premises, the allergen information was requested by the complainant but was not handed over as it was being used by kitchen staff at the time.”

During the inspection, officers found there were "no documented procedures in place relating to allergen management, apart from a short section within the training manual.”

Food safety officers were told all Tim Horton’s food handlers complete a basic food hygiene course but at the time of the inspection the training indicated that it “is not sufficient with regards to allergen management and information.”

However, an allergen training package has now been put in place.

Tim Hortons drive-thru.

Inspectors were also told by food handlers that they wear gloves which are changed every 20 minutes when an alarm sounds but are not changed before preparing food for an allergy sufferer.

Food handlers also wash their hands every 20 minutes but not specifically before preparing a meal for a person with an allergy/intolerance.

However, the report states that both matters have “now been addressed”.

The report goes on: “Aprons are not changed by the food handler when preparing food specifically for a person with an allergy /intolerance.

“I was told that all food was handled with tongues and there are colour-coded tongues for various uses, but not for allergen-free food.

“There were no checks made on new supplies to look for changes in ingredients and/or allergen.”

Dudley Council’s food hygiene report concludes: “According to the information on labels and the matrix the meal itself (Timmies Mini Ham& Cheese Melt, fries and fruit shoot) do not contain nuts, so I was concerned that this was due to cross-contamination during food handling/preparation.

“A Stop Requirement was served at the time of the inspection, instructing you not to serve anyone with an allergy or an intolerance until adequate procedures and controls have been put in place and have been agreed by an officer from this department.”

A spokesperson from Tim Hortons UK & Ireland LTD said: “We take the standards within all our restaurants very seriously and have had all our processes approved by a Primary Care Authority, which all our restaurants adhere to.

“Following the EHO report, we are working with the Primary Care Authority to update some of our documentation.

“We are confident that upon review on the next visit, our scores will reflect the high standards we implement.”