Pret chief took two years to say sorry to tragic Natasha’s family
Parents brand letter sent just weeks before inquest as ‘too little, too late’
THE multi-millionaire boss of Pret A Manger took two years to apologise to the family of tragic schoolgirl Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, her heartbroken parents revealed yesterday.
Clive Schlee sent a handwritten letter of condolence to the 15-year-old’s family last month – just weeks before the death in July 2016 was due to be scrutinised at an inquest.
Her parents said the letter was ‘too little, too late’, and a friend suggested the move appeared to be a cynical public relations stunt, timed to deflect criticism from the high street sandwich chain.
Natasha died after a severe allergic reaction to a £3.45 artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette she bought at Pret A Manger at Heathrow Airport.
She had suffered from numerous food allergies all her life and had checked the sandwich’s packaging, but found no alerts that the bread contained sesame seeds. Pret A Manger has apologised and promised ‘meaningful change’ over its allergen warnings, which appeared on shelves but not on packaging.
Yesterday, following 48 hours of sustained criticism over Natasha’s death, it said it had followed British laws on food labelling, adding: ‘Clearly, these laws are inadequate for severe allergy sufferers.’ Natasha’s parents Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse said the sandwich chain had behaved irresponsibly and had valued its public image for selling ‘natural’ products over its customers’ safety. The couple added: ‘There was no proper internal investigation into our daughter’s death.
‘We did not even get a letter from the chief executive until last month, offering his condolences for her death. It was too little, too late.’
In an article in the Sunday Times, they insisted: ‘Pret markets itself as selling natural products you can trust, but it was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
‘If there had been just one written warning for her to see, she never would have bought the baguette. The vigilance we had learnt to live our lives by was gone in a second. It was heart-breaking.’
Natasha bought the baguette before boarding a flight to Nice and complained within minutes of eating it that her throat felt ‘itchy’.
She collapsed on board the British Airways plane and died hours later in a French hospital, despite efforts to save her by her father and a doctor on the jet. Mrs Ednan-Laperouse, 51, described a heart-wrenching phone call as she tried to fly to France to be with her daughter.
Her husband, 53, a millionaire businessman, put his phone on Natasha’s pillow on her hospital bed and told his wife: ‘You’ve got to say goodbye to her now. Don’t lose time. She’s going to die any minute.’
Mrs Ednan-Laperouse said she told her daughter: ‘Tashi, I love you so much, darling. I’ll be with you soon. I’ll be with you.’ The grief-stricken couple are now considering legal action against Pret A Manger and Mrs Ednan-Laperouse said: ‘We now know she didn’t die on our watch – she died on Pret’s watch, and all thanks to the absence of two little words on the packaging of her sandwich.
‘If the label had listed sesame seeds, Natasha wouldn’t have touched it and she’d still be alive.’ The coroner wrote to Pret A Manger in March 2017 to inform it that an inquest would be held.
The chain, which has 500 stores in nine countries, has employed corporate communications firm Brunswick to handle media coverage of the tragedy. Pret
‘Cynical public relations stunt’
chief executive Mr Schlee attended the inquest at West London Coroner’s Court which was told the firm benefited from a legal loophole which allows businesses to leave ingredients lists off packaging if the food is produced on-site.
Pret A Manger part-bakes its baguettes and then sends them to its shops, where they are baked, filled and packaged.
The chain uses stickers on its food display units, but coroner Dr Sean Cummings said they were ‘inadequate’.
He urged ministers to review whether food giants should benefit from a legal loophole designed for small shops and cafes.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said a review of food labelling was already under way. Mr Schlee was yesterday unavailable for comment. A spokesman for Pret A Manger repeated the company’s apology to Natasha’s family, and said: ‘We are committed to leading the changes required across our industry.
‘Pret has always operated in accordance with UK laws relating to food labelling. Clearly, these laws are inadequate for severe allergy sufferers.’