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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Takeaway gave me allergen

26 replies

Glitterybee · 09/07/2024 08:47

I'm wondering if AIBU and also how you would deal with this if it was you?

I got a takeaway last night from a Chinese that I eat from usually once a week. I ordered a chicken dish. This chicken is in a batter/coating and as I was eating it I started to feel really woozy and ill. My throat felt scratchy and my lips started tingling… I panicked as I was taking an allergic reaction (I’m allergic to shellfish but I’m very careful and it’s been a long time since I took a reaction)

I dissected some of the ‘chicken’ and couldn’t believe it they were jumbo prawns!!!!

luckily mum was here with me and able to locate my Epi pen.

im not a person who usually complains but I think I need to call them when they open tonight and inform them. AIBU?

mum thinks IABU and it’s an easy mistake to make. I personally think a mistake like this could be fatal to someone and not acceptable!

how would you handle it?

OP posts:
TeabySea · 09/07/2024 08:49

They need to be aware. You had your epi pen handy, but someone else may not.
Definitely call them.

AlwaysFreezing · 09/07/2024 08:49

I'd be calling environmental health and reporting it. Hope you're OK now.

BuyOrBake · 09/07/2024 08:50

Another vote for contacting environmental health.
This is really serious, don't let your mother minimise it.

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 09/07/2024 08:54

Your mum thinks it's unreasonable to inform someone of a mistake they made that could easily kill someone if they made it again? How are they supposed to prevent it happening again if they don't even know it happened?

AnnaMagnani · 09/07/2024 08:58

Bypass the restaurant, straight to environmental health.

Rumors1 · 09/07/2024 08:59

Definitely tell them about it however were you not worried about cross contamination? Chances are that the prawns and chicken are dipped in the same batter and cooked in the same oil.

My DS has a peanut allergy and we would never give him Chinese or Indian due to cross contamination.

LimeFish · 09/07/2024 08:59

Yes you should inform them. Whether you report to environmental health (you can either do this via your council website or thr food standards agency reporting portal) I personally think depends on whether you informed them of your allergy when you ordered. Did you?

Longtimelurkerfinallyposts · 09/07/2024 09:09

If you order a chicken dish you shouldn't need to inform them of an allergy to shellfish. There shouldn't have been shellfish instead of chicken!
Also voting that you report them, and consider legal action All food businesses need to take this stuff more seriously, and this is probably the only way to ensure they do so.
Ignore your mum.
And don't eat there again.

PoppyCherryDog · 09/07/2024 09:20

This is very serious and I can’t believe your mum is dismissing it saying it’s an easy mistake??? They literally have you the wrong dish.

OrwellianTimes · 09/07/2024 09:22

Report to environmental health.

But I have to say as an allergy parent a Chinese takeaway is the last place I’d go to with an anaphylactic allergy to shellfish. Takeaways are notorious for making mistakes like this, the language Barr is too much.

Hoppinggreen · 09/07/2024 09:23

The shops needs to know their mistake but I echo other posters, there is no way they use different oil etc so the chance of cross contamination is very high

Superscientist · 09/07/2024 09:25

Yes complain and always raise an allergen even if it isn't an ingredient in the foods you are ordering.
Food for those with allergies should be prepared on a freshly cleaned down surface, chopping board and knife and extra due diligence for cross contamination.
Or you should be warned that there is a risk of cross contamination due to cooking methods for example my daughter has a fish allergy and can't have chips in most fish and chips places as they use the same oil for the fish and the chips so there's a cross contamination risk.

Mrsjayy · 09/07/2024 09:25

Oh god definitely phone them they probably come prebattered and someone hasn't been careful.

Killingoffmyflowersonebyone · 09/07/2024 09:32

Agree with PPs. Report.

But if you have allergies that serious you really shouldn’t get takeaway full stop. Cross contamination is rife across the fast food industry and in big chains (I once witnessed prawns and sausages being cooked in the same deep fryer in a national chain when I worked there). And even if they are not doing that, they often don’t change the oil for several weeks (and cook various foods in it).

Most takeaway food is bought in big supermarkets (Wingyip if you’re SESW London) and precooked - they bung it in the fryer for 2 mins. The chicken balls/fried chicken and battered prawns look very similar tbh.

Not excusing them, it’s very poor. But YABU to think fast food is going to ever cater responsibly to allergies. It should. But it doesn’t.

CelesteCunningham · 09/07/2024 09:33

Report to them and report to the relevant authority (food safety?).

Did you tell them you have an allergy?

Even if you didn't though, prawns instead of chicken isn't acceptable.

sweetpickle2 · 09/07/2024 10:36

Definitely tell them.

However I'm surprised you were eating from a Chinese at all- my friend is allergic to shellfish and she avoids any takeaways that use fish sauce in their cooking.

Caerulea · 09/07/2024 10:38

Chef checking in here -

I have a note on my menu that asks for ANY allergy to be declared so I can take the proper precautions & do have a separate fryer for these things. That said! I've a small menu & make everything myself so know exactly what I've used & what's on my shelves. I'm also a takeaway so let's not bash all of us ;)

I also have a pretty rare allergy that doesn't require declaration, so if it's on a menu I mention it when I'm ordering food cos I know it's in that kitchen & being handled.

Was it mentioned when the order was placed? If so, then straight to the EHO who will visit to check their practises.

If not, I'd contact them to let them know they made a mistake with a common allergen (it's awful, but mistakes do happen). Guage their response to see what you want to do next.

I'll be brutally honest, they probably have a very large menu & if they did know about your allergy & they don't have a separate fryer, they should have said no fried food would be suitable due to cross-contamination. They aren't obliged to have separate fryers & most places don't - I'm OTT about this stuff & do have regulars at risk of anaphylaxis from various things.

Fizzypop88 · 09/07/2024 10:45

Yeah just adding to this, my DP is allergic to prawns/shellfish. We can't order from any chinese. Sometime they even say it's fine until I specifically mention if they use separate oil. Anything battered will be fried in the same fryer, it's way to too risky for cross contamination - or like in your case, actually getting the wrong thing.
Before his allergy was really bad we still use to risk it and it was ok, until one time we have vege spring rolls, and it turns out we accidently got the spring roll special which had chicken and prawn in. That wasn't good!

GoingUphill · 09/07/2024 10:51

Absolutely report this. A lot of the allergy fatalities in the news are from takeaways, and often the person doesn't have their EpiPen on them. You had yours and luckily all worked out ok, but the next person might not be so lucky.

As a mum of someone with a serious allergy (peanut) I wouldn't risk a takeaway like this where the allergen is used in other dishes and things can get cross contaminated in fryers but I appreciate allergy life isn't straightforward and everyone does their own risk assessment.

HanSB · 09/07/2024 10:52

Of course you should tell them but this sounds like it was packed wrongly so someone else got your order and you got theirs rather than being cooked incorrectly. Did you get it delivered? I have had delivery people mix up orders and give me the wrong one before so not necessarily the fault of the restaurant. Hope you have recovered well

AccountCreateUsername · 09/07/2024 11:00

Definitely tell the restaurant OP, there’s also a way to log it via the app. They need to know what happened so they can put it right. Also let your GP know as you’ve had a reaction and you should get reviewed.

Also contact the council or whoever licenses or inspects them. How scary, I hope you’re ok now

DirtyCheeseBurger · 09/07/2024 11:02

Please please please report to keep future eaters safe .

Noosnom · 09/07/2024 11:04

Yanbu.
But my son has allergies so we never get takeaways where there is a risk of contamination. Even some chain restaurants are still very blasé about allergies, it's scary.

As476 · 09/07/2024 11:08

I used to manage a takeaway and I would absolutely want to know that this had happened. It would 100% be taken seriously and investigated by me personally if this had happened. We regularly reviewed practices, and changed the way we do things when a vegetarian customer accidentally received a meat alternative (think samosas or something similar) and now meat ones are marked with a dot of red dye so they can be differentiated between.

Similar things could be done by the Chinese to differentiate the seafood. I hope you get a decent response from them. Straight to environmental health if they don’t understand how serious this is.

SwanRivers · 09/07/2024 11:08

I can’t believe your mum is so dismissive, especially given her own daughter has an allergy?!! 😳