A 24-year-old British tourist has died from a severe allergic reaction after eating churros in Buenos Aires, Argentina, despite reportedly being assured by café staff that the pastry did not contain peanuts.
An inquest at Cornwall Coroner’s Court heard that Harry Kitto, from Falmouth, Cornwall, suffered an anaphylactic reaction on October 30, 2025, after biting into churros that contained peanuts.
Kitto had been travelling around South America with his girlfriend, Naomi Pye. The inquest heard that he had previously eaten churros in Mexico and Peru without experiencing any allergic reactions.
Before purchasing the pastry in Buenos Aires, Kitto and Pye reportedly asked café staff in both English and Spanish whether it contained peanuts. They were assured that it did not.
However, after taking a bite, Kitto reportedly suspected that the food contained nuts. He and Pye returned to their accommodation, where his lips began to swell and he struggled to breathe.
Pye immediately called for emergency assistance and rushed back to their accommodation to retrieve an adrenaline auto-injector, commonly known as an EpiPen. She administered the injection into Kitto’s thigh as an ambulance arrived to take him to hospital.
Pye told the inquest that the couple had received a “firm no” when they asked whether the churros contained nuts.
Tourist Suffered Severe Allergic Reaction
The inquest heard that Kitto’s heart stopped for approximately 11 minutes before it was restarted. He was subsequently admitted to intensive care.
Despite medical intervention, he died a week later from a hypoxic brain injury and anaphylactic shock.
The inquest concluded that his death was accidental.
Laboratory Tests Confirmed Peanut Protein
Assistant Coroner Emma Hillson heard that Kitto’s father and brother later visited the café and ordered the same food to establish whether it contained peanuts.
According to evidence presented at the inquest, one waiter said they did not know whether the churros contained peanuts, while another said they did not.
The family subsequently submitted a sample of the pastry to a local laboratory for testing. The results showed that it contained 20 milligrams of peanut protein per kilogram.
Kitto’s mother, Kerry Burt, said her son had suffered a catastrophic allergic reaction after eating food contaminated with peanuts.
She described him as “immensely strong, courageous and brave”, reflecting on his fight for life following the reaction.
“For over a week he showed extraordinary strength and determination – the same strength that made everyone who knew him so proud,” she said.
The case highlights the potentially life-threatening consequences of food allergies and the importance of accurate information about ingredients and possible cross-contamination when serving customers with food allergies.
