The mother of a teenage girl who died of an allergic reaction after drinking Costa hot chocolate told the BBC she lay awake at night wondering if she could have prevented her death.
Hannah Jacobs, 13, suffered from a severe milk allergy and died within hours of drinking the drink on February 8 last year.
Abimbola Duyile told BBC Breakfast she wanted to ensure no parent lost a child in the same way and called on the government to raise awareness of the use of EpiPens.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said ministers would “carefully consider” the views of allergists and any recommendations made by the coroner at Hannah’s inquest.
the Jacobs family Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Ms Duyile said: “I pray the government listens to this.
“If we can ask the government at least (to) let people know the symptoms of people having an allergic reaction, that would be great. They could save lives.
“Teach everyone how to use an EpiPen, whether it’s a child or an adult.”
They also asked restaurants and cafes to be clear about allergies when taking orders and to better mark items containing allergens.
Earlier this month, the inquest concluded Hannah died after a “failed to follow the process in place to discuss allergies” and a “failure to communicate” between the coffee shop staff and Hannah’s mother.
Hannah and her mum had bought a hot chocolate from a branch of Costa Coffee in Barking, east London.
His mother said he ordered two soy hot chocolates – ie dispute with coffee shop workers who make drinks during the inquest – and have asked the staff to clean the equipment they were using.
The inquest heard that hot chocolate can be made with cow’s milk and Ms Duyile was not shown the book, which includes the ingredients of how to make the drink.
The teenager then fell ill during a dentist’s surgery after drinking one drink, shouting: “This is not soya milk.”
Mrs. Duyile then took Hannah to the pharmacy, and she died.
A post-mortem examination found Hannah had died after suffering a hypersensitivity anaphylactic reaction triggered by an ingredient in hot chocolate that caused an allergic reaction.
The inquest also heard evidence from Costa employees about online training on allergens, including from a man who said he failed the quiz 20 times before passing.
“Everyone has to change their ways,” his mother told the BBC. “If you train someone, they can’t understand the allergens on the company’s website and have to do it 20 times again, you have to ask yourself, ‘(what) is something here?’
“Your staff needs to know what’s going on.
“This should be a common basic thing. Everyone (in) restaurants, coffee shops should know.”
Ms Duyile said her world had been “turned upside down” by Hannah’s death.
“I always stay awake thinking there’s something I could have done differently…maybe bring an EpiPen with me.”
They said Hannah was a “bright, funny child, full of life” and “loved Christmas and her birthday”.
“He (will) be an amazing adult,” he said.
PAThe Food Standards Agency (FSA), which is responsible for food safety in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, told the BBC it was developing best practice guidance on the provision of allergen information in writing and conversation.
It said it hoped to consult on the guidance in October, with publication in early 2025.
In a statement, a Costa Coffee spokesman said Hannah’s death was a “tragedy and our sincere thoughts remain with her family and friends”.
“We have strict allergy training and procedures to help reduce the risk to our customers who suffer from allergens, however, we agree with the coroner’s conclusion that our allergen process was not carried out that day in our franchise partner stores,” he said. .
Costa said it would continue to review staff training and work with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation – a charity that raises awareness of allergies.
A Department of Health spokesman said: “We have continued discussions with the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation about improving support for people with allergies and the minister will carefully consider their views and any recommendations made by the coroner following the tragic death of Hannah Jacobs.”
