‘New Natasha’s law’ will force food chains to label ingredients properly after baguette killed 15-year-old girl, Michael Gove reveals
The Environment Secretary said he was urgently consulting on overhauling food safety standards after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse suffered an allergic reaction and died after eating a sesame baguette
A NEW 'Natasha's law' to overhaul food safety standards could be brought in after a 15-year-old suffered an allergic reaction and died after eating a sesame baguette.
Micheal Gove is urgently reviewing whether to introduce new legislation after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, died after eating a Pret a Manger sandwich containing sesame seeds.
He told ITV News that a new 'Natasha's law' would be a "fitting tribute" to the teenager.
Mr Gove said: “We will consider exactly what we can do. I think their case is compelling and we need to act quickly in order to ensure that we have the best possible protection in place.”
Speaking earlier today Natasha’s father Nadim Ednan-Laperouse said he had vowed to “get justice for death” so “no one else should suffer such a needless and pointless death”.
At the conclusion of last week’s inquest into her death, Dr Sean Cummings said he would be writing to the Department of Environment to review food labeling rules – which currently exempt shops that produce food on-site from having to list allergens on individual packaging.
Mr Gove said: “One of the things that I’ve done as soon as I heard about the coroner’s case and the request he made of my department is to ask civil servants in the department what we could do.
“How could we review the law, how could we change things.”
He added: “My heart goes out to them (the parents). I can’t imagine the grief they’ve had to suffer.
“To lose a daughter, to lose anyone in circumstances like that is heart rending so I think they’re absolutely right to say that the law needs to be addressed.”
Natasha collapsed on a flight from London to Nice after buying an artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette at Heathrow.
The sandwich had sesame seeds embedded in the bread but the ingredients are said to have not been clearly labelled.
Her dad Nadim, a millionaire owner of Wow Toys from Fulham, tried to save the schoolgirl by giving her two doses of drugs and administering an EpiPen.
The tragic teen had lost consciousness and suffered a cardiac arrest.
She was given CPR but the plane was not diverted, landing in Nice after a flight lasting one hour and 50 minutes. She later died in hospital.
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Sesame is one of 14 allergens that EU laws say must be listed in pre-packaged food made off premises.
But a loophole means companies do not have to list it if the food is prepared on the same day in an on site kitchen.
Natasha was a popular pupil at Lady Margaret School, a Church of England academy in Fulham, who loved horses and ice-skating and hoped to become a lawyer.
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