What happened to Celia Marsh?

Celia Marsh died from a severe allergic reaction after eating a Pret A Manger wrap that was mislabeled as dairy-free but contained milk products.

Who is responsible for the contamination in the Pret A Manger wrap?

The contamination occurred during the manufacture of the yoghurt ingredient, where milk protein cross-contamination took place, and the risk was not passed on to customers.

What is Natasha's Law?

Natasha's Law is an overhaul of food labelling laws, requiring full ingredient and allergen details for pre-packaged foods, introduced after a teenager's death.

Home / Health / Dairy-Free Wrap Kills Allergy Sufferer

Dairy-Free Wrap Kills Allergy Sufferer

10 Dec

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Summary

Woman with milk allergy died after eating falsely labeled wrap.
Family received £1.25 million in compensation after a settlement.
Ingredient cross-contamination caused fatal milk protein exposure.

A settlement of £1.25 million has been agreed upon for the family of Celia Marsh, who tragically died in December 2017 due to a severe allergic reaction. Mrs. Marsh, a mother of five, consumed a Pret A Manger wrap that was mislabeled as dairy-free but contained milk products. The contamination occurred because an ingredient in the yoghurt became cross-contaminated with milk protein during its manufacturing process.

Pret A Manger will cover 25% of the payout, with the remainder falling to the insurers of Planet Coconut Ltd, the manufacturer of the yoghurt. The senior coroner for Avon previously stated that a "dairy-free" product must be free from dairy and that the manufacturer possessed documents highlighting the risk of contamination but did not inform their customers.

This incident echoes the tragedy of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, whose death from an allergic reaction to a Pret sandwich led to "Natasha's Law" in 2021, mandating comprehensive allergen labeling. More recently, a 13-year-old girl with a dairy allergy died in February 2023 after drinking a hot chocolate made with cow's milk.