Parents of allergy death teenager call on companies to ‘do the right thing’

THE PARENTS of a teenager who died after suffering an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger sandwich yesterday said companies should not wait for a law change on food labelling before “doing the right thing”.

Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, from Fulham, south-west London, collapsed on board a flight in July 2016 after eating an artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette she had bought at Heathrow Airport.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said the Government will look at companies’ responsibilities in relation to food labelling, while Environment Secretary Michael Gove said he had instructed civil servants to investigate a law change after the teenager’s death highlighted the “importance of acting urgently”.

Natasha’s parents say, while they welcome the Government’s efforts, food companies should not wait.

Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse said: “We see that yet another day has dawned without any commitment from Pret to label individual products with allergen warnings.

“We welcome the Government’s efforts but food companies should not wait for a bad law to be changed before doing the right thing.”

In a statement, a Pret spokesman said Pret is “committed to leading the changes required across our industry”.

The coroner at Natasha’s inquest last week said she died of anaphylaxis after eating the Pret sandwich containing sesame, to which she was allergic.