“This award carries particular weight for me because it is in memory of Megan Lee”
17:25, 02 Jan 2026Updated 09:07, 04 Jan 2026
Megan Lee, 15, suffered a devastating asthma attack in 2017 after unknowingly eating a takeaway meal containing peanuts
A multi-agency group of officers and legal specialists has won an award given in memory of a 15-year-old who died after being served food containing undisclosed allergens.
Megan Lee from Oswaldtwistle, suffered irreversible brain damage after unknowingly eating a takeaway meal containing peanuts. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) Megan Lee Hero Award was created in her memory in 2023.
The award, held in the House of Lords, recognises individuals or teams that have carried out outstanding work to protect the public from serious food safety breaches.
This year’s winners were responsible for Operation Bantam, a complex investigation into the fraudulent supply of meat products unfit for human consumption. The case uncovered a conspiracy to divert Category 3 material, which is restricted to pet food use, back into the human food chain.
The investigation began when the London Borough of Southwark’s Food Safety team discovered an illegal meat cutting operation and seized two tonnes of chicken and meat products. Evidence from the site led the National Food Crime Unit to pursue the wider conspiracy.
With support from Heart of the South West Trading Standards, Somerset Environmental Health and Food Safety Service and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, investigators carried out extensive enquiries including phone data analysis and cell site triangulation. Southwark’s Legal Services team then took the case forward, securing convictions following a detailed prosecution presented in court by counsel from Drystone Chambers.
The operation demonstrated close cooperation between multiple agencies and a shared determination to protect public health and the integrity of the food chain.
Southwark Food Safety Team alongside partners from the Food Standards Agency and Drystone Chambers
Chartered Trading Standards Institute Chief Executive John Herriman said: “Operation Bantam shows what can be achieved when agencies work together with real clarity and purpose. The scale of the offending and the complexity of the investigation made this a demanding case, and the commitment shown by everyone involved helped to bring it to a successful conclusion.
“This award carries particular weight for me because it is in memory of Megan Lee, a young girl who tragically lost her life after eating food that was contaminated with allergens. Megan’s parents, Gemma Lee and Adam Lee, have been an inspiration to us all at CTSI and to see this team recognised in Megan’s name feels deeply personal and a reminder of why this work matters so much.
“The team’s work has had a direct impact on public safety, and the recognition is richly deserved.”
Cllr Natasha Ennin, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Neighbourhoods said: “Receiving this award is a great moment for us, as recognition of the hard work our Food Safety team continue to do in order to ensure our residents are protected from harmful products and rogue retailers. The sentencing on this case marked the end of a long and determined investigation to hold these food criminals to account, who operated with greed, lies and a disregard for public safety.
“Food crime and poor trading standards will not be tolerated in Southwark and we will continue to make an example of illegal traders and protect our people from them.”
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