Statement following the outcome from the inquest into the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse

Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse who tragedy passed away following a severe allergic reaction to Sesame. She died after eating a baguette from Pret a Manger at Heathrow airport prior to boarding a British Airways flight for Nice.

Following the outcome from the inquest, we would be in support of the recommendation made by Coroner Dr Sean Cummings to review the food information regulations regarding the labelling of pre-packaged food made on site for direct sale.

We hope the review will cover all food business that sell food that has been prepared and packed on the same premises from which they are being sold, irrespective of the size of the business.

Currently by law, food businesses selling catered food (for example in restaurants, takeaways and hotels) are required to provide information on major allergenic ingredients, either in writing and/or orally. If information is provided orally, the food business will need to ensure that there is some sort of written signage that is clearly visible, to indicate that allergen information is available from a member of staff. Systems should also be in place to ensure that, if requested, the information given orally is supported in a recorded form to ensure consistency and accuracy.

Under the UK’s Food Regulation 2014 food business that sell freshly handmade, non-pre-packaged food do not have to individual label the products and can provide allergy information in writing or verbally.

The Coroner has also announced that he will send a report to prevent future deaths to the medicines regulator, the MHRA, and the manufacturer of EpiPens, amid concerns that they may be too short to penetrate the muscle and contain an inadequate dose of adrenaline to ensure they are effective for everyone. It is important to note that The European Medicines Agency (EMA) completed a review of all adrenaline auto-injectors approved in the EU in 2017 and concluded that manufactures should carry out studies in humans to fully understand when and how much adrenaline reaches the blood stream, and how quickly and effectively it acts on body tissues when given through an auto-injector. These studies have started and will help to inform future recommendations for adrenaline auto-injectors.

You can find out more in our guide to eating out for young people here.

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact our helpline team at info@anaphylaxis.org.uk or call 01252 542 029.

For further information, please contact our press office via press@anaphylaxis.org.uk or call 01252 893 862.