Italian woman dies after eating tiramisu

The tragic death of a 20-year-old Italian woman named Anna Bellisario who suffered a fatal allergic reaction to a tiramisu dessert containing milk shocked Italy. The incident prompted a formal manslaughter investigation to determine the culpability of those involved.

According to reports, Anna and her boyfriend visited a fast-food restaurant in Milan on January 26. Due to her severe dairy allergy, Anna carefully checked the label of the tiramisu and inquired about its contents. Receiving reassurance, she consumed the dessert. However, moments later, she felt nauseous and rushed to the bathroom to vomit. Despite administering her emergency asthma medication and cortisone, Anna lost consciousness and tragically passed away on February 5 at San Raffaele Hospital.

Extensive investigations revealed that the two women running the pastry shop, who supplied desserts to the restaurant, are currently under investigation for manslaughter. Evidence suggests that the accused individuals had mixed the ingredients of vegetarian desserts with those containing milk, leading to a deadly allergic reaction.

The investigating judge, Fiammetta Modica, reviewed wiretap evidence that portrayed a disturbing lack of integrity and consequently issued a restraining order against the mother and daughter who owned the shop.

Experts commented that avoiding such tragedies, caused by an allergic reaction or not, would be possible by ensuring strict separation of ingredients and providing thorough training to employees. A mere four-hour course would not suffice in preventing cross-contamination between plant-based and dairy products at the factory, potentially saving lives.

Due to this devastating incident, the Ministry of Health immediately recalled the “Tiramisu Mashirpa” product from the market on February 6, suspecting the presence of undisclosed milk proteins.

Italy now strives to prevent similar incidents, underscoring the need for utmost care, transparency, and awareness within the food industry to safeguard the lives of those with allergies.