Woman with dairy allergy died after 'vegan' Pret wrap

A woman with a severe allergy died after eating a Pret a Manger wrap that had been labelled vegan but included dairy protein, her inquest heard.

Mum-of-five Celia Marsh collapsed while on a shopping trip with her husband and three of her daughters.

A paramedic told the inquest that some shoppers continued to step over Mrs Marsh while she was being treated on the ground in Bath.

She died after eating a super-veg rainbow flatbread.

Husband Andy Marsh told the court: "She began to feel funny after eating the wrap. I thought she was being silly because the sandwich had been labelled vegan."

The family had been on a post-Christmas shopping trip in Bath in 2017 when Mrs Marsh bought the wrap.

The inquest heard the dental nurse "religiously avoided" all dairy products following a near-fatal allergic reaction some months earlier.

Mrs Marsh, 42, from Melksham, Wiltshire, began struggling to breathe shortly after consuming the flatbread containing yoghurt.

The yoghurt was meant to be vegan but was subsequently found to contain traces of dairy protein, the inquest heard.

Mr Marsh and his daughters were in court and cried as his statement was read out.

The family had been browsing inside the clothing store Gap when Mrs Marsh started to feel "a bit funny".

They left the shop and walked down a side street where she took her inhaler out.

"She used it a few times and I asked if she was OK," Mr Marsh said.

"She said she might have been struggling because of the cold air.

"She had her Epipen in her hand and I said she should use it if there was any chance she was having a reaction.

"She then said to me 'you need to phone an ambulance'."

By the time he phoned 999 at 14:33 GMT, Mrs Marsh had collapsed in the street and a crowd had surrounded her.

One of the attending paramedics told the court some shoppers had continued to step over Mrs Marsh while she was being treated on the ground.

Other shoppers took off their coats to help keep her warm.

A civil servant who came to help recalled seeing Mr Marsh trying to comfort one of his daughters.

Mr Marsh said he was unable to travel in the ambulance with his wife because he had his children with him.

He said it took him a while to return to the car and drive to the hospital as he was in shock.

"When we arrived at the hospital we were taken into a side room and we were told that Celia had been pronounced dead at 4pm," Mr Marsh said.

Pret a Manger was charged with food safety failures following Mrs Marsh's death, but the prosecution was later dropped due to lack of evidence.

The company said it would fully co-operate with the inquest, which is expected to last two to three weeks.

The death of Mrs Marsh comes after that of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died in 2016 after eating a Pret baguette containing sesame seeds, to which she was allergic.

In the wake of Natasha's death the food labelling laws were changed to require all retailers to display full ingredients and allergen information on every food item made on the premises and pre-packed for direct sale, including sandwiches, cakes and salads.

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