Pret a Manger removes meat-free sandwich from cafés after vegetarian finds FISH inside £3.99 snack despite chain’s promises to improve in wake of two deaths due to allergic reactions
- Vegetarian customer finds crayfish in her butternut squash flatbread sandwich
- Louise Froggatt, 25, was ‘disgusted’ to find a large crayfish at Pret a Manger
- It comes after an inquest found Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, suffered fatal reaction after eating sesame seeds on a baguette she bought from Pret
Pret a Manger has been forced to remove products from shelves after a customer found crayfish in a supposedly vegetarian-friendly sandwich.
Louise Froggatt, 25, was ‘disgusted’ to find a large crayfish inside her vegetarian-friendly pesto butternut squash and roasted tomato flatbread sandwich.
Louise bought the wrap from the sandwich chain’s branch in High Holborn, London, on Tuesday lunchtime – and returned it to the shop when she found the shellfish.
Louise Froggatt, 25, was ‘disgusted’ to find a large crayfish inside her vegetarian-friendly pesto butternut squash and roasted tomato flatbread sandwich. Louise (far right) bought the wrap in High Holborn, London, on Tuesday – and returned it to the shop when she found the shellfish
It comes shortly after an inquest found Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, suffered a fatal allergic reaction after eating sesame seeds on a baguette she bought from Pret.
Pret apologised, launched an investigation, and confirmed the manager removed all the Butternut Squash, Pesto & Roasted Tomato flatbreads from the shop’s shelves.
Horrified Louise said she was given a full refund for the £3.99 sandwich and was offered complimentary products – which she turned down.
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Louise, from Ilford, who works in TV production, said: ‘I was just about to take a second bite when I noticed it. I knew that something wasn’t right straight away.
‘I first though it was chicken but when I pulled it out I thought it was prawn. I showed it to my colleagues and they said it was crayfish.
‘Somehow it has ended up in there when it shouldn’t have. There was pesto all over it.
It comes shortly after an inquest found Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, suffered a fatal allergic reaction after eating sesame seeds on a baguette she bought from Pret
‘I was disgusted. It’s very poor because crayfish can be a major allergen. It was quite unpleasant.
‘I wanted to make Pret aware so they could take them all off the shelves.
‘This isn’t a small error. Someone could get very sick if they ate seafood when they’re not supposed to.
‘I expect quality from Pret. You pay a decent price so you don’t expect this sort of thing to happen.’
Louise has been vegetarian for six years and said the flatbread was advertised as suitable for vegetarians and safe to eat for those with seafood allergies.
Louise said she was worried more veggie sandwiches were ‘contaminated’ with seafood.
Crayfish, a shellfish, are a common allergen, and people with a shellfish allergy who eat it can suffer life-threatening reactions.
An anaphylactic shock triggered by a reaction to shellfish can be fatal in extreme cases.
In 2016, Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, died after eating a Pret a Manger baguette containing sesame seeds not listed on the label, an inquest heard last month.
Last week it was revealed a person also died in 2017 after eating a ‘super-veg rainbow flatbread’ which was supposed to be dairy-free.
Sandwich chain Pret said it was mis-sold a dairy-free yoghurt which contained dairy protein.
The chain removed all of the affected products from circulation following the death, on December 27.
A Pret a Manger spokesperson, said: ‘We are very sorry for our customer’s experience and we have been in touch with her today to apologise.
‘As soon as the shop’s manager was made aware, he removed the Butternut Squash, Pesto & Roasted Tomato flatbreads from the shop’s shelves.
‘We are urgently investigating this to make sure the right actions are taken to prevent this from happening again.’
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