The mother of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after a severe reaction to a Pret a Manger baguette, has voiced her shock after seeing café signs banning food allergy sufferers.
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, from Fulham, criticised one 'discriminate' and 'insensitive' poster thought to be found outside The Snack Shack sandwich shop in Malpas, Cheshire, which warns customers: 'Do not enter if you suffer from food allergies'.
The 'No Entry' sign was shared online and sparked controversy, with many expressing their outrage over the notice, which added: 'Food prepared in this facility may contain nuts, milk eggs, tree nuts, shellfish, wheat, soy bean or fish.'
But this seemingly isn't the only incident of this kind, after Pizza Hut and Leon establishments were also previously accused of pushing out a similar 'offensive' warning.
Following her 15-year-old daughter's death in July 2016 after she ate a baguette laced with sesame seeds not listed on the label, Tanya, along with her husband Nadim, set up the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and campaigned for Natasha's Law, which forces food outlets to carry full allergen and ingredient labelling on pre-packaged food made on the premises, such as sandwiches and salads, from October 1.
Speaking to FEMAIL, she said of the sign: 'It’s the discriminatory nature of it, it’s quite hateful. You wouldn’t do that to any other part of society.
'Everyone should be able to go out to a café or restaurant without the fear of being treated as a second-class citizen.'
The mother of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died after a reaction to a Pret a Manger baguette, has shared her shock after seeing a café sign banning food allergy sufferers (pictured)
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse (pictured with her husband in 2019), from Fulham, criticised the 'discriminate' and 'insensitive' sign thought to be found outside The Snack Shack sandwich shop in Malpas, Cheshire, which warns customers: 'Do not enter if you suffer from food allergies.'
Following her daughter's death in July 2016 after she ate a baguette laced with sesame seeds not listed on the label, Tanya, along with her husband Nadim, set up the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and campaigned for Natasha's Law, which forces food outlets to carry full allergen and ingredient labelling on pre-packaged food made on the premises, such as sandwiches and salads, from October 1
'The world isn’t like it was 50 years ago, we shouldn't be stuck in that mindset.
'Imagine if you or your child has a food allergy and you see that. I was just shocked, I was shocked that they felt that they could do it.
'It was the “we don’t want you” attitude that was just so shocking,' she added.
'As a parent, you’re always trying to make sure that [your child] knows their food allergy doesn’t define them - but when you see these signs, that defines them as being unwelcome, and excluding them from society. It’s very hurtful.'
Tanya explained how her daughter Natasha had often asked why she was the only one in their family to suffer from food allergies and had to miss out on ‘so much’ when she was little.
‘She used to say “why me?” It sounds silly when you say it, but she had to miss out on birthday parties when the whole class was going.
But this seemingly isn't the only incident of this kind after Pizza Hut and Leon establishments were also previously accused of pushing out a similar 'offensive' warning (pictured)
A mother in 2019 claimed a Leon restaurant had told her not to eat at its business because of her son's allergies (pictured, her tweet)
‘It’s really sad, it did make her feel different because she missed out on things.'
Tanya says no excuses should be made for banning people who suffer from food allergies, and instead proper protocols should be put in place to support businesses on how to safely prepare food.
She added: 'Food allergies are a severe yet increasingly common illness, affecting 2million people in the UK. Preparing food that is suitable for everyone, including those with food allergies, is part and parcel of the catering and food industry.
'Yet we hear repeatedly that some cafes and restaurants are refusing to serve people with food allergies because they are unable to guarantee allergen-free meals.
Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, who was allergic to sesame, died after eating a Pret baguette that didn't list it as an ingredient
July 17, 2016: BA flight BA342 from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Nice lasted approximately 1 hour 50 mins.
9.50am: Natasha bought the sandwich and developed an itchy throat around three minutes later.
