Sunday 8 May 2022 11:26 AM Graduate, 23, who had peanut allergy, 'died after taking two bites of pizza ... trends now
A 'bright and bubbly' university graduate, who was allergic to peanuts, collapsed and died after eating just two bites of a pizza ordered via Deliveroo, an inquest will hear.
James Atkinson, 23, began suffering a severe allergic reaction shortly after eating a chicken tikka masala pizza from Dadyal Pizza, Newcastle.
Despite ordering food from the premises previously, he was unaware the restaurant had allegedly begun using peanut powder within the ingredients for making the pizza.
James Atkinson, 23, died in July 2020 after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a pizza allegedly made with peanut powder
Now his parents, Stuart Atkinson, 59 and Jill, 58, from Leeds, say they want to discover 'if there are lessons to be learnt' at a three-day inquest opening at Newcastle coroner's court on Tuesday, which would have marked James' 26th birthday.
Specifically, they are hoping questions will be raised over the effectiveness of allergen information provided by Deliveroo, arguing that such details need to be made clearer with an allergy tick box on the order form.
The family are being supported by Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, whose 15-year-old daughter Natasha died in July 2016 from anaphylactic shock after eating a Pret A Manger baguette containing sesame seeds, which she was severely allergic to.
An inquest will open into the tragedy on the day that would have been James' 26th birthday
In the wake of her tragic death, Tanya and her husband, Nadim, set up the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and successfully campaigned for a change in food labelling.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Tanya said: 'James's tragic death throws the spotlight on the multibillion-pound food delivery businesses and what appears to be a terrifying lack of regulation.
'It is vital that the inquest ... gets to the heart of who polices corporate giants like Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats when it comes to food safety.'
His parents said that James had known about his peanut allergy since he was a teenager
The inquest comes nearly two years after James suffered anaphylactic shock, after ordering a pizza to share with his housemates at 8.10pm on July 10, 2020.
Shortly after eating a few bites of one slice of the pizza, his lips and throat swelled up. He called 999 and paramedics arrived by 8.16pm, giving him two shots of adrenaline in his leg, but he fell unconscious and went into cardiac arrest.
He was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and pronounced dead at 9.21pm - just over an hour after eating the pizza.
James had known he was allergic to peanuts since a young teenager and was 'always so careful' to check ingredients, his parents said.
Dadyal Pizza in Newcastle remained open after the tragedy, but closed its doors last month
At the time of the tragedy, the BBC reported that Dadyal owner Gulfam Ulhaq said staff were 'in shock' after being told of the death.
He said: 'I was really shocked when police told me he had passed away and that he was only 23-years-old.
