CAROLINE STONE’S nine-year-old son Bradley has a sesame seed allergy that means: “Every meal is a roll of the dice.”
Two years ago, that might have sounded overly dramatic. Then 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse bought a sandwich at chain Pret A Manger and lost her life.
Food allergies are serious. Some deadly. The “it’s purely psychosomatic” mindset is guff.
Poor Natasha is proof of that, because thanks to woeful food labelling, she didn’t know her “artichoke, olive and tapenade” baguette contained the sesame she had spent all her life fastidiously avoiding.
And neither did her distraught father Nadim, forced to watch as the healthy, vibrant daughter, who’d been chatting animatedly just five minutes earlier, suddenly complained of an itchy throat, broke out in angry red welts, then died before his eyes, “like an explosion”.
Her last words were: “Daddy, help me, I can’t breathe.” Can you even imagine the pain if that was your child?
Nadim, who lives in Fulham, West London, with his wife Tanya and Natasha’s younger brother Alex, is wracked with guilt because her death “happened on my watch”, a wholly understandable reaction any parent will identify with.
But the truth is, there’s nothing he could have done, because the information they both needed to avoid the tragedy simply wasn’t there.
And believe me, such omissions are commonplace.
There are several foodstuffs that give me an itchy throat (cherries, peaches, certain nuts) but papaya makes me struggle to breathe, break out in angry, red welts and want to tear my skin off.
It’s not life-threatening by any standards, but unless I can get a steroid injection to bring down the inflammation, it will mean several days of discomfort.
I mention it merely because there have been several occasions when I have been assured by staff that, “no madam, there’s definitely no papaya in this”. And there bloody well has been. A cocktail was one culprit, a “strawberry and banana” smoothie another.
And then there was a facial at a “health” farm where I had dutifully filled out the registration form and written “papaya” in the “any allergies” box.
Less than an hour after having various creams and oils rubbed in to my skin, my face had blown up like a Spacehopper and the rest of my body was covered in itchy welts too.
Turns out that the moisturising elixir of youth contained a small trace of papaya oil. Who knew? Well, certainly not the supposedly trained staff who had supposedly read my allergy form.
And so, living with an allergy as serious as Natasha’s means, as Caroline puts it, taking “a roll of the dice” every single day.
Caroline lives in America, where the Food Allergen Labelling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 includes pretty much all the major allergy culprits except sesame, which reportedly affects between 300,000 and 500,000 in the US alone.
It can be found in bagels, breadcrumbs, and hummus, to name but a few, but is often categorised on labels under “natural flavouring” or “spices”.
In the UK, non pre-packaged foods don’t need a specific allergen label attached so, because it has kitchens on its premises, Pret A Manger is able to exploit the loophole by providing what Nadim describes as the “inadequate food labelling” that led to his daughter’s “needless and pointless” death.
So, to give it some meaning, Nadim understandably wants “justice” in the shape of a “Natasha’s Law” to close that loophole — something the Environment Secretary Michael Gove is now considering urgently.
Meanwhile, Pret boss Clive Schlee says he wants to see “meaningful change” come out of the tragedy.
In which case, a good start would be to implement “Natasha’s Law” across all Pret outlets right now — without waiting to be forced to by legislation.
Pout of order
CONGRATULATIONS to former Bake Off winner Candice Brown on her marriage to Liam Macaulay at the weekend.
But what’s with the “selfie” pout?
Like puff sleeves, satin rouching or a cottage-bun hairdo, I reckon she’ll regret it when she looks at her wedding pics in years to come.
Liam fox keeps schtum
HOT on the heels of Chancellor Philip Hammond slating Boris Johnson, who in turn, is taking potshots at the PM, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox says: “Ronald Reagan had an 11th commandment, ‘Never speak ill about fellow conservatives’. I take that commandment to heart.”
Cripes. With this current unruly, back-biting rabble, his tongue must be red raw with the force of biting down on it.
Shane’s no spin doctor
CRICKET legend Shane Warne says his relationship with Elizabeth Hurley was the best time of his life.
Revealing that he would love to rekindle the flame, he adds: “I really fell in love with her.
“We got along so well. When she was at her best, she was fantastic.”
Shane, pet, a word of advice. Take a long, hard look at this photograph.
The vivacious Ms Hurley is always at her best, be it in microscopic bikini or voluminous Barbour and muddy wellies.
And, like all women, even if you think there are times when she’s not at her optimum “fantastic-ness”, what’s really best for bowling a maiden over is that you don’t actually say it. Ever
Boot ’em out
NO doubt about it, Cheryl Tweedy-Cole-Fernandez-Versini-Payne is a fine looking woman.
And this sequinned dress serves only to accentuate her beauty. But that footwear – has the panto season come early?
Men have long considered thigh-high boots sexy, presumably because they’re a standard accessory in most BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism, as you ask) scenarios.
But the one and only time I tried a pair on, the only overwhelming urge I felt was to go fly fishing for trout in the beauteous wilds of northern Scotland.
Intelligent personal assistant
BMW is bringing out a car with an electronic “intelligent personal assistant” that talks to you if, say, your passenger falls asleep and you’re feeling lonesome.
No, no, no. And a thousand more head shakes.
Every car journey involves The Bloke telling me to “turn right here” when I’m already indicating or crying “watch out” while dramatically clutching the dashboard with both hands as I brake perfectly smoothly behind the car in front.
On the rare occasions he falls asleep, the peace is utter bliss and must never be disturbed, let alone by someone else bossing me about.
Home truths
RECORD numbers of children are now severely obese when they start secondary school, so Sport England is spending £13.5million to help get them more active via teacher-led fitness sessions.
Every little helps but, like charity, obesity begins at home and chances are that all too many kids are struggling with weight issues because their parents are the size of Portakabins.
And all the star jumps, rope climbs and pommel vaulting in the world isn’t going to alter the fact that as soon as they leave the school gym, they’re returning home to a toxic climate of junk food and idleness.
MOST READ IN OPINION
Sixtus
JACOB REES MOGG’S wife Helena says their one-year-old son Sixtus will be their last child.
“There will be no Septimus and no Octopus,” (that would be painful) she states, and who can blame her?
Though registering “Natus Nonam” (born ninth) at the local nursery might have provided a few laughs.
https://textbacklinkexchanges.com/we-need-a-natasha-law-to-highlight-the-pret-a-danger-and-seriousness-of-food-allergies/
News Pictures We need a ‘Natasha Law’ to highlight the Pret A Danger and seriousness of food allergies
You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!
TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st
To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.
Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”
Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”
kim cattrall
Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb
SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.
Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/NINTCHDBPICT0004376619081.jpg?strip=all&w=960
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