Pret's 'Inadequate' Labelling Slammed at Inquest into Fulham Schoolgirl's Death
Lady Margaret School student Natasha suffered reaction to baguette on flight to Nice
Sandwich chain Pret a Manger has been strongly criticised for its 'inadequate' labelling by the coroner at the inquest into the death of death of Fulham schoolgirl Natasha Ednan-Laperouse.
Coroner Dr Sean Cummings at West London Coroner's Court in Bagley's Lane in Fulham conculded that Natasha, 15, suffered a severe allergic reaction after eating a baguette from Pret and died of anaphylactic shock.
Natasha is pictured above in a photo released by her family.
Natasha, who attended Lady Margaret School in Parsons Green, suffered an allergic reaction to the sesame in the artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette and went into cardiac arrest minutes before her flight from Heathrow to Nice landed on 17 July 2016.
Dr Cummings said: "The baguette was manufactured to Pret specifications and contained sesame to which she was allergic. There was no specific allergen information on the baguette packaging or on the food display cabinet and Natasha was reassured by that."
Dr Cummings said that Pret had not addressed the fact that food allergy was something to be taken very seriously indeed, given the enormous size of their business.
He added that he intends to send a report to environment and food Secretary Michael Gove in relation to considering large food business operators should do more on issue.
Questions were also raised during the inquest about the safety procedure aboard the plane, as an onboard defibrillator was not used to help Natasha as staff said it was too dangerous to fetch it during landing.
The coroner said that it was an omission by the BA crew not to inform the doctor helping Natasha that there was a defibrillator on board, but it would not have made a material difference to the outcome as her heart was unlikely to be in shockable rhythm.
Dr Cummings also expressed sympathy to Natasha's family - mother Tanya, brother Alex and father Nadim,
the founder of Isleworth based company Wow Toys - who had been forced to relive the agonising details of her collapse on the plane during the inquest.
During the inquest, the court heard that Natasha, who was going on holiday in France with her father and best friend cried: "Daddy, help me" as she struggled to breathe. He gave her two EpiPen injections and a junior doctor travelling on the flight also injected her with adrenaline. However, Natasha became unconscious and was pronounced dead in a hospital in Nice a few hours later.
It was revealed that Pret did not have to provide ingredient labelling on the baguette Natasha bought at Heathrow Terminal 5 shortly before take-off.
When food is handmade and packaged on the premises, businesses are not required to put allergen information on each individual food item, the hearing was told.
In a statement, Pret said the individual sandwich would not have been labeled with allergen or ingredient information. But the company said there are signs that tell consumers with allergies to speak to managers for additional information.
A Pret spokesman said in an earlier statement: "We were deeply saddened to hear about Natasha’s tragic death, and our heartfelt thoughts are with her family and friends. We take food allergies and how allergen information is provided to our customers extremely seriously. We will continue to do all that we can to assist the coroner's inquest."
A Pret A Manger representative said its allergen policy has since been changed as a complaint log for the company showed nine cases of sesame-related allergy incidents in the year before Natasha died, including six that involved similar "artisan baguettes".
The manager of the Pret outlet at Heathrow Airport's Terminal Five on the day said he was "confident and sure" that allergy alert stickers were in place on the day the family visited, but Natasha's father said there was no label.
In a statement, he said Natasha had suffered from food allergies her entire life, but diligently scrutinised labels and was alert to the danger of cross-contamination, and put her trust in food labelling.
Natasha's family said that she had just finished school for the summer and was on her way to Nice for a four-day "special treat".
In a statement they described her as a popular, mature and fun-loving girl who enjoyed horseback riding and ice-skating.
"As a family of four, we had a very close relationship. Our home was quite noisy with laughter, joking and teasing. As a teenager Natasha was always open with us and would readily talk to us about any problems she may be experiencing and would ask us for our advice. She had a strong moral compass and often showed maturity beyond her years."
September 28, 2018