Food firms must ‘up the ante’ on allergy knowledge after UK teenager’s death

Families and campaigners call for meeting with health secretary following inquest ruling over Costa Coffee tragedy

Food allergy campaigners have requested an urgent meeting with the UK health secretary after a teenager with a severe dairy allergy died following an anaphylactic reaction to drinking a Costa Coffee hot chocolate.

The inquest into the death of Hannah Jacobs, 13, who had been severely allergic to dairy products, fish and eggs since she was a toddler, found there had been a failure to follow the processes" at Costa Coffee, which led to her drink being prepared with cow's milk instead of soya milk.