"I have to put my life and trust into other people's hands hoping they take you seriously" - Jersey Evening Post
by Antonia Rubio · Jersey Evening PostPosted inNews
“I have to put my life and trust into other people’s hands hoping they take you seriously”
by Antonia Rubio 4 June 20264 June 2026
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AN Islander has described the stress of dining out after suffering a severe allergic reaction during a birthday meal at a St Helier restaurant, despite being told by the management that her food was safe to eat.
And she is now urging venues to take more responsibility for food safety as she has to “constantly put my life and trust into other people’s hands hoping that they take you seriously”.
The Pavilion restaurant was this week fined £10,000 by the Magistrate’s Court for breaching the Island’s food laws when giving the woman, who is allergic to sesame, a yoghurt which triggered anaphylaxis.
She was told more than once that there was no sesame in her food, including while she was suffering anaphylactic shock.
Speaking out after the sentencing, the woman – who asked to remain anonymous – said: “I had a couple of bites, and I immediately knew something was wrong and asked the manager if she was sure there was nothing in it. She said ‘no, there’s absolutely nothing, you’re fine’.
“This massively made me second-guess myself and almost made me feel guilty because it looked like I was accusing them of something.”
As her eyes and throat began to swell, she was rushed to the Hospital, vomiting both in the restaurant and again on the way to the Emergency Department. Had she waited much longer, there is a chance her reaction could have proven fatal.
She added that she still paid her bill despite being in need of urgent medical attention and that she had failed to use her EpiPen as she believed her food had been sesame-free.
“It’s made me second-guess myself a lot when eating out,” the Islander said. “I sometimes think I am having a reaction when I am not, so it has made eating out really stressful.
“I have also limited myself in trying new things when out, whereas before I loved doing this.”
She added that the incident had left her “hesitant to try new places” adding: “My allergies mean I can’t share food. I often have to decline a birthday or social meal because it’s at a restaurant that is not suitable for me.
“It means having to make sure everyone that I live with has cleaned everything down properly after eating something and I have to constantly put my life and trust into other people’s hands hoping that they take you seriously.”
Looking ahead to the introduction of Jersey’s new food allergy regulations in October 2026, she said she would like to see greater transparency around ingredients and allergen information.
“I do prefer it if a restaurant feels they won’t be able to safely cater for allergies that they say so and I really respect honesty in that sense,” she added. “I think in comparison to the UK, [Jersey] is behind in terms of allergies.
“There’s more requirements when it comes to allergies and I feel they take them really seriously over there.
“I think allergies can often be overlooked and just seen as an annoyance or a burden.
In a similar case in 2022, the owners of Upstairs at Anley Street were fined £3,000 after a customer with a severe nut allergy suffered an anaphylactic reaction when she was served a meal containing cashew nuts despite being repeatedly assured that it was nut-free.
The customer required hospital treatment after becoming unwell shortly after taking a bite of the dish. The restaurant later admitted an offence under Jersey’s food safety laws.
Dominic Jones, a founding member of the Jersey Food Allergy Group, said he was “saddened” to hear of another Islander experiencing a life-threatening allergic reaction while dining out.
“No food allergy campaigner wants to see the already challenged hospitality sector fined or, worse still, facing imprisonment,” he said.
“However, it is reassuring for people with food allergies and their families to see the courts reflecting the seriousness of failures to put proper protections in place for those dining out with food allergies.
“This case demonstrates the urgent need for the next government and States Members to set a date for the implementation of the recently approved, but delayed, food allergy regulations.
“These regulations would finally bring Jersey into line with more than 100 other jurisdictions around the world.”
He stressed that people living with severe allergies do not expect restaurants to guarantee that food is entirely allergen-free, but instead rely on businesses having robust systems in place to minimise risks.
Mr Jones urged hospitality businesses that have not yet introduced comprehensive allergen management measures to seek advice from the Environmental Health Department and specialist organisations.
“Doing so will help protect businesses from prosecution and, more importantly, provide a safer environment for the thousands of children and adults, and their families, who live with life-threatening food allergies.”
An increasing numbers of allergy sufferers utilise an online platform called Trust Diner, where restaurant-goers can share their experiences of how food establishments handle food allergies and dietary requirements.
Trust Diner co-founder, Daniel Kelly, best known on Instagram for his allergy campaigning under the handle ‘May Contain’, praised the woman for sharing her experience, adding: “Thank you for making the allergy community aware and making eating out safer.”
The Islander at the heart of the case said the platform had become an important tool when deciding where it was safe to eat.
“Trust Diner is genuinely an amazing website,” she said.
“It’s reviews from people with the shared experience of having allergies and that feedback is so valuable.”
“I would 100% recommend it to anyone with allergies as it really gives you that peace of mind.”
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