In July 2016, 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse suffered a fatal allergic reaction while on a British Airways flight from London to Nice. Just before boarding, she had eaten an artichoke, olive, and tapenade baguette from the Heathrow Airport’s Pret a Manger. It is believed that sesame seeds within the baguette caused Natasha’s reaction. Now, Pret a Manger confirmed that a second person has died as a result of inept labelling.
According to CNN, on Sunday, October 7th, the British sandwich chain confirmed that a Pret customer died in December 2017 after consuming the “super-veg rainbow flatbread.” The sandwich was supposed to contain a dairy-free yogurt, supplied by yogurt company Coyo. But upon testing, the “dairy-free” Coyo product contained a dairy protein, which ultimately caused a fatal allergic reaction.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) recalled all Coyo products nationwide and Pret declared it would seek legal action against Coyo. Coyo denied any connection to the fatal accident and called Pret’s claims “unfounded.” The company further stated that the recalled product was in no way related to the December 2017 accident, although the death is still being investigated.
With news of another fatal Pret food reaction, West London Coroner’s Court opened an inquest into Natasha’s death and will further investigate Pret’s ingredient labelling.
— coyo.uk (@coyo_uk) October 7, 2018
As CNN reported on September 24th, Pret a Manger does not individually label products with allergen warnings or ingredient information labels. Instead, the chain offers an “allergen guide” for customers to view either in-store or online.
The chain also follows the U.K.’s regulatory requirements for food labeling by including signage on refrigerators and checkout stations alerting customers to ask a store manager for allergen information on a particular item.
But as Natasha’s father Nadim Ednan stated on Good Morning Britain on October 1st, adding labels to food products is “obvious common sense.” If Natasha’s Pret sandwich had been labelled “contains sesame,” he believes she would be alive today.
‘To put a label to say this is what’s in the sandwich and these are the allergens. It’s a matter of obvious common sense.’
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) October 1, 2018
The father of the teenager who died after having an allergic reaction to a Pret A Manger baguette, speaks to @GMB. pic.twitter.com/uAsS7m446F
As of October 7th, Pret plans to begin a trial of full ingredient labeling to make sure “prominent allergen warning stickers are placed on all individual freshly made products,” as said in a statement obtained by CNN. The chain will also place more allergen warning signs within the restaurants.
The hope is that Pret a Manger will take their customers’ safety seriously and provide clear ingredient labels on their food products in the near future. Until then, Pret customers with food allergies should stay alert, aware, and when in doubt, pass on a product without proper labelling.
