Family of nut allergy victim call for UK law change

LONDON: The family of a British teenager who died from an allergic reaction to a sandwich called on Friday for a change in the law on food labelling, as an inquest into her death ended.

Natasha Ednan-laperouse, 15, who suffered from numerous allergies, went into cardiac arrest on a 2016 flight from London to Nice after eating a baguette containing sesame seeds from sandwich chain Pret A Manger.

There was no allergen information on the packaging or the store’s food display cabinet, but this is not required by British law.

A coroner concluded the teen had been “reassured by that” and said he would advise the government on whether food labelling regulations should be tightened. Nadim Ednanlaperouse, the victim’s father, said the inquest “should serve as a watershed moment to make meaningful change to save lives”.

“If Pret A Manger were following the law, then the law was playing Russian Roulette with our daughter’s life,” he said in a family statement. “It’s clear that the food labelling laws as they stand today are not fit for purpose and it is now time to change the law.”

Natasha Ednan-laperouse had the fatal reaction aboard a British Airways plane in July 2016 after buying the baguette, which had sesame seeds inside its dough, from a Pret outlet at London Heathrow airport.

At the time, the company relied on stickers on food display units highlighting that allergy information was available by asking staff or visiting its website. — AFP