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A 15-year-old girl who was severely allergic to sesame died after eating a Pret a Manger sandwich that did not list the ingredient on her packaging, an investigation will be heard this week.
Natasha Ednan-Laperouse was traveling with her father and a school friend from London to Nice when she collapsed during the British Airways flight in July 2016.
The survey, which is expected to last five days, will likely review product labeling laws and raise questions about the need to tighten regulatory loopholes.
It will be learned that, shortly before boarding the plane, the teenager had eaten a baguette of artichokes, olives and tapenade bought in the main store ready to eat from the terminal 5 from Heathrow Airport.
She collapsed on the plane and, despite her father's administration of two doses of medicine to revive her with EpiPens, she was pronounced dead later that day at the University Hospital of Nice.
The coroner will hear the testimony of Father Nadim, the millionaire founder of Wow Toys, and the manager of the Pret store the day the girl bought the wand, and the head of security and compliance for the UK food chain. . , which has 500 stores worldwide and was sold in May to a German investment fund for £ 1.5 billion. The captain of British Airways and the flight crew will also testify.
"As a family of three, my wife, my son and I are always trying to adapt to life without our beloved daughter," said Ednan-Laperouse, who is represented by Leigh Day's lawyers.
"It's a daily struggle and the pain is indescribable. All we say and do is a reminder that she is not with us; his empty room, his school uniform hung in his wardrobe, his holiday bag packed for his vacation in Nice has never been unpacked. We can not stand. "
Sesame is believed to have been cooked in the baguette rather than contained in the seeds on its crust.
Sesame is one of 14 allergens stipulated by EU regulations in pre-packaged food products made outside.
But, as for other fast foods such as Itsu, Pod and Benugo, who prepare their food every day in their own kitchens, Pret products do not need to be labeled individually with information about allergens or ingredients. The "flaw" is supposed to free small independent sandwich shops and coffee chains from expensive regulations.
Instead, shelf and point-of-sale signs in Pret stores tell allergic customers to talk to a trained sales representative to give advice on allergens. Information is also available in the company's Allergen Guide, available in store and online.
It is understood that before getting acquainted with the case, Pret has begun to improve the information on the allergens that it provides to its customers, but the investigation will consider whether or not. other measures should be taken.
Legal experts suggest that the hearing could trigger a series of civil actions, depending on the coroner's findings.
the Observer understands that Pret has been asked to provide details of all other customers who have suffered allergic reactions to its products over the past two years.
The investigation will also examine the rescue measures taken by British Airways personnel on board the flight, the training provided and the equipment available to deal with serious allergic reactions.
It is planned to examine whether the plane should have changed course to land at a closer airport – Lyon – and what advice the pilot asked the medical experts present on the ground.
The role of French paramedics in landing the aircraft – and whether their equipment, particularly a defibrillator, was working – should also be closely examined.
The use of Pret labeling was criticized earlier this year. In April, the Advertising Standards Authority censured the firm for its claims about its sandwiches using only natural ingredients.
The ASA stated that the advertisements on the Facebook page and the Pret website, which claimed that the chain was manufacturing "appropriate sandwiches avoiding obscure chemicals, additives and preservatives" used by other chains of fast food and that his products were "good, natural".
The supervisory body stated: "We considered that because some Ready-to-Eat foods contained E numbers … these foods did not constitute" natural "foods for the purposes of [food labelling] orientation."
This week's investigation is similar to a complaint against Pret in the United States. In September 2015, David Matt suffered anaphylactic shock after eating a sandwich at a Pret store in New York City. Matt, who is allergic to sesame, said the label did not mention the allergen as one of the ingredients and sued the chain.
But sesame is not ranked in the United States as one of the top eight food allergens to list, and a court in favor of Pret.
"We were deeply saddened to hear of Natasha's tragic death and our most sincere thoughts go to her family and friends," said a Pret spokeswoman. "We take food allergies very seriously and how information about allergens is provided to our customers. We will continue to do everything we can to help the coroner's inquest. "
In a statement, Natasha's parents said, "As a family of four, we had a very close relationship. Our house was noisy enough to laugh, joke and tease. As a teenager, Natasha was always open with us and easily talked to us about any problems she might encounter and asked us for advice. She had a strong moral sense and often showed maturity beyond her years.
"Natasha was a popular girl at school; She was working hard and had to take nine GCSEs the following year.
"She had a great sense of humor and was known for her infectious laugh – she could cut down an entire room to tears of laughter in minutes – she was also sweet, brave and loyal and showed great kindness and courage several times.You could not ask for a more wonderful girl.
"She did her work experience in May 2016 at Matrix Chambers in London and wanted to pursue a career in law. She loved all the animals, and for four years she pulled out the stables and rode horses every Saturday morning at the Horse Rangers at Hampton Court.
"She was also passionate about ice skating and showed great potential and promising potential as an ice skater.
"She left school on Friday, July 15, 2016 and was so excited about the upcoming summer. We were traveling to Nice for a four day break with her best friend as a special gift. After that she organized a week at a Christian youth festival in Norfolk, and then we organized two weeks of family holidays in Greece. It was going to be his best summer of all time.
"More than 300 people attended his memorial service in December 2016, which would have been his 16th birthday. Her friends were telling heartbreaking stories, all of them recognizing how she was a great friend. Other friends sang songs of love and friendship, and there were a lot of tears. Her closest friends always miss her every day and find life very difficult to adjust without her.
A spokesman for British Airways said, "We were really sorry to hear about the death of our client and our thoughts remained with his family.
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