As teenage girl dies after eating poorly labelled shop sandwich..

THE tragic case of schoolgirl Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died when she unwittingly ate sesame seeds in a poorly labelled Pret a Manger sandwich, has led to calls for all food manufacturers to improve allergy information.

Natasha, 15, collapsed on board a British Airways flight in July 2016 after eating a baguette she had bought at Heathrow Airport.

A coroner concluded she died of anaphylaxis – a severe allergic reaction – caused by eating seeds not listed on the wrapper, and to which she was highly allergic.

This horrifying case highlights how careful people with allergies must be – a growing group in the UK, including up to 8% of children.

“Food allergy is on the rise and has been for some time,” confirms leading charity Allergy UK.

Our immune system mistakenly identifies food proteins as foreign invading germs, causing hives, rashes, itchy mouth and vomiting.

In rare cases it causes anaphylaxis, which can lead to swelling of the tongue and throat, difficulty breathing and potentially deadly low blood pressure.

SENSITIVITY

About 90% of reactions come from eight foods: Milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (eg almonds), sesame seeds, wheat, fish and shellfish.

There is no known cure, but children who are allergic to milk, soy, wheat or egg tend to “outgrow” the sensitivity.

Allergies to peanut, tree nuts, sesame and seafood tend to be lifelong and can be deadly. They can only be managed by avoiding the allergens.

Sufferers must also carry an EpiPen at all times. This selfinjecting device contains adrenaline, which can often reverse a reaction, if administered early enough.

However, the effectiveness of some EpiPens is likely to be reviewed following the death of Natasha, as the two pens carried by her father were ineffective – possibly because the needles were too short or the dose was too late.

Lack of vitamin D

Because we spend more time indoors and use sunscreen, deficiency of Vitamin D, which is an important nutrient for a healthy immune system, has increased in the past 30 years.

Australian research has found that babies low in it were more likely to develop food allergies.