Pret settles £1.25m claim over death of allergy sufferer Celia Marsh

Pret A Manger has paid compensation to the family of allergy sufferer Celia Marsh, who died in 2017 after eating a wrap purchased from the chain that was marked as dairy free.

Celia, a 42 year old mother of five, suffered acute anaphylactic shock shortly after eating a Super Veg vegan wrap at 2.08pm. She collapsed within fifteen minutes and was pronounced dead at 4pm.

Contamination traced to milk protein in yogurt dressing

An inquest later confirmed that the yogurt dressing in the wrap contained traces of milk protein. The contamination stemmed from a starch ingredient manufactured in a facility that also handled dairy products.

The yogurt was sold under CoYo branding in the UK and produced by Planet Coconut, which, according to evidence presented at the inquest, did not alert Pret to the allergen risk despite having documentation that highlighted the issue.

£1.25m out-of-court settlement agreed

Following the inquest, Celia’s husband, Andy Marsh, launched a personal injury claim at London’s High Court against Pret A Manger and Planet Coconut.

According to The Times, an out-of-court settlement worth £1.25 million has now been agreed. Pret will contribute twenty-five percent, while Planet Coconut’s insurers will cover the remaining sum.

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A Pret spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Pret has contributed to a settlement with Celia Marsh’s family. While we know this will never make up for the death of Celia, we wanted to play our part in resolving this and help the family move on from this tragedy.”

Coroner warned of misleading ‘free-from’ and ‘vegan’ claims

In a prevention of future deaths report issued in 2022, coroner Maria Voisin warned that labelling food as free-from or vegan could mislead the public when manufacturers cannot guarantee the complete absence of allergens.

Pret has since stopped sourcing products from Planet Coconut and no longer applies free-from claims to any freshly made items across its estate.

Planet Coconut carried out a nationwide recall of all CoYo products in 2018 following a Food Standards Agency allergen alert.

A case that shaped the future of allergen labelling in the UK

Celia’s death came a year after that of fifteen-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died in 2016 after suffering an allergic reaction to sesame seeds in a Pret baguette bought at Heathrow Airport. Natasha’s case prompted a nationwide overhaul of food labelling laws. Retailers are now required to display full ingredient and allergen information on all food prepared and pre-packed for direct sale.

These cases have continued to shape the ongoing debate over allergen transparency, supply-chain accountability and the responsibilities of operators in an increasingly complex food-to-go market.

Written by ABi Kinsella

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