Restaurant sold 'dairy-free' burgers with milk in

A restaurant which sold "dairy-free" burgers containing traces of milk has been fined nearly £11,000.

Coco's Soul Food in Preston was caught twice - in November 2023 and February 2024 - by trading standards officers from Lancashire County Council.

Director Ebrahim Paruk, 51, was found to have served meals and personally confirmed they were dairy-free despite the fact that tests later showed them to contain milk protein.

Earlier this month at Lancaster Magistrates' Court, Paruk was fined £650 after admitting food safety offences and told to pay a victim surcharge of £260. His company, Coconut (NW) Ltd, was given fines totalling £10,900.

In November 2023, an undercover trading standards officer who declared a milk allergy was served a burger containing milk protein.

An investigation was launched and, three months later, the business was issued a warning along with guidance.

The same thing happened again, however, in October 2024.

This time, Paruk served the meals and confirmed they were dairy-free.

Tests showed milk protein present in the food.

The likely cause of this was found to have been the decision to switch from ordinary buns to brioche ones.

"People with food allergies rely on businesses to provide accurate information and take proper care when preparing food," said Councillor Joshua Roberts, Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for rural affairs, environment and communities.

"In this case, a simple change in ingredients led to unsafe food being served, despite a previous warning.

"Failure to keep allergen information up to date and ensuring staff understand the risks could put customers at risk, and even potentially kill someone with a dairy allergy."

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