Jeremy Hyam KC and Hannah Noyce, instructed by Leigh Day, recently represented the family of Celia Marsh at the inquest into her death.
Celia was allergic to milk and died when she suffered anaphylaxis caused by the consumption of a wrap purchased from Pret a Manger. The wrap was contaminated with milk protein. Celia was not aware that the wrap contained milk protein. The wrap contained a product which was marked as ‘dairy free coconut yogurt alternative’, but despite this it contained milk protein, which was the cause of Celia’s anaphylaxis.
As the Coroner concluded: “A product which is marked dairy free should be, free from dairy. The contamination arose because an ingredient in the yogurt called HG1 had become cross-contaminated with milk protein during its manufacture. The manufacturer of the dairy free yogurt had in its possession documents which flagged this risk but this risk was not passed on to its customers.”
The inquest was featured in the media here:
