Samaras Lebanese and Mediterranean Restaurant has been fined $105,000
Nathan Anderson visited the Wollongong eatery with friends in October, 2017
Restaurant manager Alyca Nemer said they could cater to his sesame allergy
She made him a plate of bread and hummus but forgot it contained sesame
After eating the dish, he left the store to get his epi-pen but collapsed and died
The restaurant had an informal allergen procedure in place at the time, which required management staff to check a handwritten basic allergen sheet before sending orders to the kitchen.
Nemer, the restaurant owner’s daughter, took it upon herself to formulate an entree plate for Anderson, and did not discuss his allergies with kitchen staff or any other staff member.
While she had carefully excluded sesame seeds from the food, including avoiding cross-contamination, Nemer admits she had forgotten hummus contained sesame seed paste or tahini.
After taking a bite or two of bread dipped in the hummus, Anderson said he felt discomfort and left the restaurant to get his EpiPen from his accommodation.