The family of a teenager who died unknowingly eating food he was allergic to at a Byron Burger restaurant in Greenwich say they have not been properly compensated.
The Carey family say they want to change the law after their son's tragic death in April 2019, and have described the damages paid out as "pathetic."
Owen Carey, who had a dairy allergy, ordered a skinny grilled chicken at Byron's O2 Arena branch whilst celebrating his 18th birthday in April 2019.
The 18-year-old told staff about his allergy but they didn't tell him buttermilk was included.
Mr Carey collapsed and died shortly after.
The family later received a letter from Byron's chief executive apologising for "all the pain" the family had suffered.
But the company's insurers allegedly refused to pay any damages and only offered to pay a proportion of the legal and funeral costs.
Owen Carey, who died after eating a burger in Greenwich - Family handout
Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire on BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine Show, Mr Carey's father Paul described the decision over compensation as "pathetic."
He continued: "We weren't looking to profit from Owen's death - we would have donated the money to the charity the Anaphylaxis Campaign which supports people at risk from serious allergies.
"You can't quantify in monetary terms how much we miss Owen. But we're not doing this for money, we just want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else."
Owen Carey, family handout
In a bid to change the law, the family are now officially launching their own campaign for 'Owen's Law', which would require clear, specific allergen labelling on every restaurant menu.
Mr Carey's family have actually been campaigning for a law change ever since the coroner's report in 2019, which ruled that the teenager was not told about the allergens that led to his death.
The family of Owen Carey
His inquest heard there had been about 150 deaths like Mr Carey’s in the UK in the past 25 years.
Last month, they met the Food Standards Agency and wrote to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which has responsibility for food safety calling for a change in the law. They are yet to receive a response.
Byron has since updated its menu which originally stated “Chicken - choose yours grilled or fried”, to “Chicken - marinated in buttermilk, choose yours grilled or fried.”
In a statement, its CEO Simon Wilkinson said: “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,” he added.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here