Pret blames supplier for second death

A SECOND person died after suffering an allergic reaction to an ingredient in a sandwich from Pret a Manger, it emerged yesterday.

The woman, who has not been named, died after eating a “super-veg rainbow flatbread” that was supposed to be free from dairy products.

However, it is believed a yogurt used in the sandwich, bought from the Bath store on December 27 last year, caused the lethal reaction.

CoYo, a vegan coconut milk yogurt and ice cream brand that has been endorsed by TV cook Nigella Lawson, recalled its yogurts in February after traces of dairy were found.

Pret said CoYo “mis-sold to Pret a guaranteed dairy-free yogurt that was found to contain dairy protein”.

A spokesman said: “This is believed to have resulted in the tragic death of a customer from an allergic reaction in December 2017.”

Saddened

However CoYo hit back yesterday, strongly denying the recall was linked to the woman’s death.

And it accused Pret of hampering its own investigation by failing to provide vital information.

“The claims made by Pret are unfounded,” a spokeswoman for CoYo said yesterday.

Bath Council had alerted Pret to the incident soon after the death and the chain said it then withdrew all affected products.

The Food Standards Agency said it had investigated CoYo, based in Erith, southeast London, which then issued an allergy alert and recalled its coconut yogurts.

The news comes after the death of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who was allergic to sesame and died after eating one of Pret’s baguettes. Natasha’s The woman is said to have died after eating a super-veg rainbow flatbread parents said they were “incredibly saddened” by the second death.

Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, who have been campaigning for a change to food labelling laws, said: “We were incredibly saddened to learn of someone else losing their life from allergens in their food.

“Our hearts go out to the bereaved family,” they added.

The family’s solicitor Michelle Victor said: “This tragic fatality is further evidence of the need for food manufacturers and retailers to realise the life and death decisions they make with the ingredients they put in their food and that people are fully aware of what is in their foods.”

Pret announced last week it would include full ingredient labelling on all of its products.

The Government said it is now considering a law change after the death of Natasha, who was from Fulham, south-west London.

She collapsed on board a flight in July 2016 after eating an artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette she had bought in Heathrow Airport. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse