A woman with an acute dairy allergy who died shortly after eating a Pret a Manger vegan wrap suffered a fatal anaphylactic shock due to contaminants in a dressing in the sandwich, a coroner has found.
Celia Marsh, 42, a dental nurse from Melksham, Wiltshire, died on December 27 2017 after eating a super-veg rainbow flatbread from the chain’s store in Bath, Somerset.
The coconut yoghurt used as dressing from Australian brand CoYo, which was licensed for manufacture in the UK to British firm Planet Coconut, is thought to have had traces of milk in it.
An inquest at Avon Coroner’s Court heard the mother-of-five “religiously avoided” dairy products following a near-fatal allergic reaction a few months earlier after which she needed 15 shots of adrenalin.
Speaking after the conclusion of the inquest into the death of Celia Marsh, Pret a Manger chief executive Pano Christou said: “As a father and husband, I can only imagine how distressing this has been for Celia’s children and family. Our deepest sympathies remain with everyone who knew and loved Celia.
“We fully support the coroner’s findings. As the coroner made clear, Planet Coconut had information which should have alerted them that their Coyo yoghurt may have contained milk and this information was not passed on to Pret.
“It goes without saying that if Pret had ever known that the Coyo yoghurt may have contained milk, we would have never used the ingredient.
“On Pret’s part, we have taken significant steps forward with our suppliers and labelling policies since 2017.
“Through the Pret allergy plan, we made a clear commitment to lead the industry in developing new policies for people with food allergies. We will continue to do everything we can to help every customer get the information they need to make the right choice for them.”
