Killer ‘vegan’ tiramisu makers face trial for manslaughter
The makers of a ‘vegan’ dessert that killed a woman with a dairy allergy will face trial for manslaughter.
Anna Bellisario ordered a ‘vegan’ tiramisu while eating out with her boyfriend at a fast food restaurant in Milan, Italy on January 26 last year.
But she went into anaphylactic shock after just a few spoonfuls of the creamy dessert. She died in hospital days later.
Investigators claim the tiramisu contained mascaropone cheese used to make cream for the supposedly vegan dish.
Prosecutors allege the mascarpone was used as an active ingredient, rather than being present due to contamination.
Now Giuseppe Loiero and his mother Giovanna Anoia, the bosses of the family firm which provided the tiramisu to the restaurant, will go on trial for manslaughter.
It comes after prosecutors discovered damning communications between the pair, local media reported.
One of the GLG SRL bosses admitted they had not considered allergy sufferers when creating vegan recipes.
Milan’s Deputy Prosecutor Tiziana Siciliano and Prosecutor Luca Gaglio demanded the indictment.
They are accused of complicity in manslaughter.
An investigating judge previously banned them from business activity for a year on January 15.
Bellisario had checked the vegan credentials of her order multiple times before diving into the dessert during a meal with her boyfriend.
She reportedly checked the label and asked for further information due to her severe allergy.
With reassurance, she started to eat the dessert, which is usually made with mascarpone cheese when in its non-vegan form.
But after two mouthfuls, she felt sick and ran to the toilet to vomit.
She took asthma medication and cortisone, which she always carried with her.
These weren’t enough to subdue her allergic reaction and she soon lost consciousness.
Bellisario died at San Raffaele hospital on February 5 after the massive anaphylactic shock.
Several products marketed as vegan were withdrawn by Italy’s Health Ministry after Bellisario’s death.
It also pulled numerous goods with a ‘suspected presence of allergens not declared on the label’.
Many of them had reportedly been produced by the GLG company responsible for the killer tiramisu.
Traces of milk protein were also identified in other tiramisu from the same brand.
Another dish served to Bellisario at the restaurant also contained an ingredient that shouldn’t have been there.
Traces of egg were found in the mayonnaise in the ‘vegan’ sandwich she had for her main.
Police found ‘critical issues’ with food safety and production procedures, according to local media.
Prosecutors will argue that vegan and non-vegan foods were stored and prepared next to each other, with a high chance of cross-contamination, which led to Bellisario’s death.
It has been suggested this would have been avoided if ingredients and environments had been properly separated, and if staff had been given correct training rather than just a four-hour course.
Some staff had no idea what ‘vegan’ meant, according to local media.
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