MUM OF TRAGIC PRET SANDWICH GIRL OPENS HER HEART I phoned my dying daughter and said: I love you so much, my darling

THE mum of the 15-year-old girl killed by a Pret a Manger baguette yesterday told how she rang her dying daughter from an airport lounge.

Tanya Ednan-laperouse was in a panic to reach Natasha who had collapsed after eating sesame seeds on a flight to the South of France.

Her husband Nadim laid his phone next to Natasha who was near death in hospital. Weeping, Tanya whispered: “Tashi, I love you so much, darling. I’ll be with you soon.”

She recalled the heartbreaking call made at Stansted Airport as she rushed 800 miles to her daughter.

It was her first interview since an inquest heard how Natasha died from an allergy to sesame seeds in the £3.45 sandwich in July 2016.

Agony

Tanya’s husband Nadim, 53, admitted he considered suicide because the “agony” of his daughter’s death had become too much to bear.

Pret, a global chain, was warned nine times about the dangers of sesame in its baguettes in the year before Natasha died.

At Natasha’s inquest last week the coroner criticised the chain for failing to properly alert customers to potentially fatal allergens.

Now the tragedy could bring about wide-scale changes to the legislation which currently permits food products made on or near the premises to be exempt from allergy labelling.

Tanya, 51, said: “She died on Pret’s watch. If the label had listed sesame seeds Natasha wouldn’t have touched it and she’d still be alive.”

Natasha was on a British Airways flight, heading for a four-day break in the Cote d’azur.

With her dad and best pal Bethany, it was her first holiday without mum.

On board she went into anaphylactic shock, had a cardiac arrest and, despite the efforts of her dad, a junior doctor on board, and medics in France, she died that evening after failing to regain conscious- ness. Tanya said: “Pret has an opportunity to do something really good. They screwed up, yes. But they could lobby for change to our labelling laws.” The family, from Fulham, West London, had become used to avoiding anything that could be dangerous for Natasha had her first serious allergic reaction at six months. Recalling the morning at Terminal 5, Tanya said: “Natasha knew what to look for and picked this artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette. “On the reverse of the wrapper was a sticker – this point is contested by Pret – which listed what was in it – but not sesame seeds.” The manager of the branch has denied such stickers were ever used. But Nadim, since diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, claims to recall reading it. The family agreed the sandwich was safe. For Nadim, that moment is replayed over and over in his mind. “I hate myself for it. I blame myself.” Minutes after eating the baguette Natasha got an itchy throat, which quickly developed into angry welts, breathing problems and, finally, cardiac arrest.

A junior doctor did CPR but was not told about a defibrillator on board.

Nadim called Tanya as soon as they landed and told her to fly out at once. Tanya said: “Updates from Nad, kept getting worse.”

Tanya’s flight was delayed which meant she could say goodbye: “I was trying not to fall apart. I got on the plane. No-one knew. Tears fell the whole time.”

Nadim was by his daughter’s side when the machines flatlined at Nice’s Hospital Louis Pasteur 2. Her last words were: “Daddy, Daddy, help me. I can’t breathe.” Initially, they believed the sesame may have been kitchen contamination. Tanya said: “Nad called his mother and asked her to go to Pret. “They brought out this spreadsheet which said it contained sesame.” Nad believes this shows there was neglect by the firm. The couple have returned to work at Nadim’s toy company, Wow, but the battle to change the labellng laws remains foremost. Tanya said: “Everything should be labelled wherever possible. Pret should not be excluded.” The family is considering a civil claim against Pret.

Everything must be labelled. Pret should not be excluded