Costa Coffee have been slammed for putting customers 'at risk' by wrongly telling them their 'steam is hot enough to kill allergens' - forcing the embarrassed brand to backtrack and delete the 'dangerous' advice. A dad tweeted the brand asking them about gluten-free options so his coeliac teen daughter could enjoy a hot drink with friends and not feel like 'an odd one out'.
The chain's official Twitter account quickly responded informing them that the heat from the steam arm on their coffee machines is 'high [hot] enough to [sterilise] any allergen remaining and eliminate the prospect of cross-contamination risk'. However, gluten-free recipe book author Becky Excell chimed in to warn coeliacs not to listen to the 'misinformation' and emphasising that 'heat does not kill gluten'.
Costa quickly deleted its tweet but the 31-year-old said the 'worrying' mistake makes her concerned about practices to avoid cross-contamination in the chain's stores. Costa Coffee has since apologised for sharing the 'incorrect information' and said that the tweet does not reflect practices in store and that staff follow 'strict processes' to avoid cross-contamination.
