Father Condemns Government Inaction After Son's Fatal Allergic Reaction at Byron Burgers
A grieving father whose teenage son died from a severe allergic reaction after dining at Byron Burgers has launched a scathing condemnation of successive governments for failing to implement mandatory allergen labeling in restaurants. Owen Carey, an 18-year-old from East Sussex, tragically passed away in April 2017 while celebrating his birthday with his girlfriend at the Byron branch located within the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London.
The Tragic Incident and Failed Assurances
Owen had explicitly informed restaurant staff about his serious dairy allergy before ordering a grilled chicken breast. He was assured the dish would be safe, but was not told the chicken had been marinated in buttermilk. Approximately forty-five minutes after consuming the meal, the teenager collapsed and was later pronounced dead at St Thomas's Hospital that same afternoon.
"We'll never get Owen back," his father, Paul Carey, told the Daily Mail. "The only thing we can do is rest assured that it's far less likely to happen to anyone else. If you suffer from allergies, you live dangerously when you go out to eat in a restaurant. There are lots of other people out there who could die if they have the wrong thing in their food."
The Campaign for Owen's Law
For nearly a decade since Owen's death, his family has campaigned tirelessly for legislative change. They advocate for Owen's Law, which would require restaurants to provide written information about the fourteen regulated allergens directly on menus, display boards, or digital apps using clear symbols, numbers, or words.
Currently, UK regulations only mandate that restaurant staff provide verbal allergen information upon customer request—a system the Carey family argues is fatally flawed. "Owen was given assurances by the waiter that something on the menu was safe for him to eat, and it wasn't," Mr. Carey stated. "If it had been the case that the allergens were written down on the menu, Owen would still be with us today."
Regulatory Support and Government Stalemate
In a significant development, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) announced its support for the family's campaign in December 2023. Furthermore, in March 2023, the FSA issued guidance recommending that restaurants state allergens in writing at the point of ordering without requiring customers to ask.
However, transforming this guidance into binding law requires amending the Food Information Regulations of 2014—a power held solely by the government. The family has secured a meeting with Dame Angela Eagle, Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs at Defra, scheduled for April 27, where they will press for immediate legislative action.
"We feel frustrated, disappointed," Mr. Carey expressed. "We're saying look, it's going to be 10 years next year that he died, and we've been running this campaign for several years. We still want to have this made a law, and it's only Defra that can make it into a law. This has been going on long enough. The FSA are behind all this—if your regulatory agency is behind doing it, why can't you just do it? That's the challenge we're trying to put towards the government."
Coroner's Findings and Industry Response
A 2019 coroner's ruling confirmed that Owen was not informed about the allergens that caused his fatal reaction. In response, Byron Burgers updated its menu to explicitly state "Chicken - marinated in buttermilk, choose yours grilled or fried," whereas it previously read "Chicken - choose yours grilled or fried."
Former Byron CEO Simon Wilkinson stated at the time: "Even though this happened two years before I was employed by Byron, I have personally taken the responsibility to improve all allergen procedures... I am very supportive of any improvements or changes that can be made across the industry to prevent further tragic accidental deaths from occurring and will work with the family accordingly."
Wider Support and Future Hopes
The campaign has garnered support from Anaphylaxis UK and other advocacy groups. Paul Carey hopes to see Owen's Law implemented on or before April 22, 2027—the tenth anniversary of his son's death. He defines success as "knowing that we've done our bit to make sure it's not going to happen again."
The Owen's Law website details the final moments: "His breathing became more and more restricted and he was using his asthma inhaler constantly... Forty-five minutes later, having arrived at the London Eye, Owen collapsed, having suffered a massive anaphylactic reaction. Paramedics and a team at St Thomas' Hospital tried everything they could, but were unable to resuscitate him."
