Family of allergy victim call for a change in the law
The family of a teenager who died after suffering an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger sandwich have said her inquest must serve as a “watershed moment”.
They are calling for a change in the law to save lives after Natasha Ednan-laperouse, 15, from Fulham, collapsed on a British Airways flight from London to Nice in July 2016.
She had been on her way to a four-day break in France with her father and best friend whensheboughtanartichoke, olive and tapenade baguette as they passed through Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5.
Video footage released by her family shows Natasha smiling, putting her thumbs up to the camera and holding hands with her friend moments before she fell ill.
Pret boss Clive Schlee said the food chain was “deeply sorry” for her death after Coroner Dr Sean Cummings recorded a narrative conclusion at West London Coroner’s Court on Friday.
Offering his condolences to the family, the coroner said to Natasha’s father Nadim: “I can’t imagine what it was like for you on that plane.”
Mr Ednan-laperouse, 53, wept as he said: “Terrible.”
Reading a statement to reporters outside court, along with his wife Tanya, 51, and son Alex, 15, who was holding a portrait of Natasha, he said they believed the inquest showed his daughter had died because of “inadequate food labelling laws”.
“It feels to us that if Pret A Manger were following the law, then the law was play(food ing Russian roulette with our daughter’s life,” he said.
“It’s clear that the food labelling laws as they stand today are not fit for purpose and it is now time to change the law.
“Natasha’s inquest should serve as a watershed moment to make meaningful change and to save lives.”
The coroner said Natasha died of anaphylaxis after eating a Pret baguette containing sesame, to which she was allergic.
“There was no specific allergen information on the baguette packaging or on the display cabinet) and Natasha was reassured by that,” he added.
Dr Cummings said he would make a report to Environment Secretary Michael Gove over whether large businesses should be able to benefit from regulation 5 of the Food Information Regulations.
The rule allows for reduced food labelling on products made in shops and does not require identification of allergens in bold labelling on the packet.
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