Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Food label laws played Russian roulette with my daughter’s life..
Allergy death teen’s dad calls for change
FOOD labelling laws played “Russian roulette” with the life of an allergic teen who died after eating a Pret A Manger sandwich, her family claim.
Natasha Ednan-laperouse, 15, suffered a fatal reaction to sesame seeds in the product’s bread.
Her parents Nadim and Tanya and brother Alex want her death to lead to life-saving rule changes.
Father Nadim, 53, said: “If Pret A Manger were following the law, then the law was playing Russian roulette with our daughter’s life. It is now time to change the law.”
Natasha collapsed on a British Airways flight to Nice after eating an artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette bought at a Pret in Heathrow Airport in 2016.
Haunting video footage taken before the flight shows her giving the thumbs-up, unaware she had eaten sesame seeds in the dough.
REACTION
The inquest at West London coroners’ court heard Natasha, from Fulham, South West London, had been “reassured” by the lack of warnings on the packet. Firms who prepare food on-site on the same day are not legally required to individually label products.
Natasha’s neck turned red as she boarded the flight with Mr Ednanlaperouse and a friend. Her father administered two Epipens but they did not halt the reaction.
After landing she was rushed to hospital in Nice but died.
West London coroner Dr Sean Cummings said allergy warnings at the Pret in Terminal 5 were “inadequate”. He is writing to Environment Secretary Michael Gove about whether rules more suited to small cafes should apply to firms like Pret.
Allergy UK blasted the laws as “totally inadequate” for high street chains.
Food Standards Agency chairman Heather Hancock said: “Larger food companies can choose to do more by providing allergen information on their products to keep their customers safe.”
Pret a Manger chief Clive Schlee promised “meaningful change”.