The labeling on a Pret A Manger sandwich is being described as “inadequate” after a 15-year-old girl from West London passed away in 2016 from an allergic reaction to the bread.
Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, went into cardiac arrest after eating the baguette of an olive tapenade and artichoke French bread sandwich she bought in the Heathrow airport in London before boarding a flight, according to CNN. The baguette contained sesame, which Ednan-Laperouse was allergic to.
In a hearing held today, coroner Dr. Sean Cummings declared “there was no specific allergen information on the baguette packaging or on the (food display cabinet) and Natasha was reassured by that.” Cummings also says that he believes the labelling stickers “were difficult to see.”
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“Our beloved daughter died in a tragedy that should never have happened and we believe that this inquest has shown that she died because of inadequate food labelling laws,” said the girl’s father, Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, after the hearing according to the UK Times. “It feels to us that if Pret A Manger were following the law, then the law was playing Russian roulette with our daughter’s life. 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.”
Nadim, who was on the flight with his daughter when she started having the allergic reaction, injected her with two doses of an Epipen during the attack, but her condition continued to worsen. She went into cardiac arrest as the flight landed and was declared dead at the hospital.
“We are deeply sorry for Natasha’s death. We cannot begin to understand the pain the family have felt, do feel and continue to feel,” said Pret A Manger CEO Clive Schlee. “All of us at Pret want meaningful change to come from this tragedy and we will make sure that it will.”
PEOPLE reached out to Pret A Manger and Dr. Sean Cummings for comment and they did not immediately respond.
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