The drink contained regular milk, even though Hannah’s mother had requested soy milk because she is allergic to dairy.
According to The Guardian, an inquest into the death of a teenage girl who passed away after possibly having an allergic reaction to a hot chocolate she bought from Costa Coffee will start next week.
Hannah Jacobs, 13, of Barking, East London, is thought to have had an allergic reaction to the hot chocolate from Costa Coffee, which is why she collapsed and passed away on February 8 of last year.
Hannah and her mother stopped at the Costa Coffee on their way to a dentist appointment, according to The Guardian. The drink contained regular milk even though Hannah’s mother had warned the barista that Hannah was intolerant to dairy and should have soy milk instead.
Since she was a small child, Hannah had experienced numerous food allergies to items like dairy, eggs, fish, and wheat. She realized she had been given the wrong milk when she tasted the hot chocolate, and she became very upset.
Hannah’s mother hurried her to a pharmacy where an EpiPen was given in an attempt to lessen the allergic reaction. After being taken to the hospital by emergency services in a matter of minutes, Hannah was declared dead at 1 pm after failing to regain consciousness.
Hannah’s death, according to LBC news, makes us think of another instance: Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who passed away in 2016 after developing an allergy to sesame seeds in a Pret a Manger baguette. This prompted the UK government to enact Natasha’s Law in 2021, which requires businesses to list all allergens on labels for pre-packaged foods made on their property.
Ten people in Britain pass away from food allergies each year, and five thousand are hospitalized due to severe reactions. In the UK, 2.4 million people suffer from food allergies.
