Girl, 13, died after drinking Costa hot chocolate with dairy milk

An inquest into the death of a schoolgirl who suffered a suspected allergic reaction to a hot chocolate drink from Costa Coffee is to begin on Monday.

 

Hannah Jacobs, 13, from Barking in east London, had severe allergies to dairy, egg, fish and wheat, which had been diagnosed as a toddler and managed throughout her life.

 

On 8 February 2023 her mother ordered a hot chocolate from a Costa branch at Station Parade, Barking and informed the barista of her daughter’s dairy allergy, according to law firm Leigh Day.

 

The store is owned and operated by a Costa franchise partner.

 

The pair then went to a dental appointment where Hannah took a sip of the drink in the waiting room and told her mother it did not contain soya milk. She immediately began having an allergic reaction.

 

They sought help at a nearby pharmacy and used a junior EpiPen, which is designed to relax the muscles in an airway to counter an allergic reaction.

 

Ambulance crews arrived and Hannah was taken to Newham Hospital. However, resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful and she was declared dead at 1pm.

 

The inquest is due to start on 12 August and is expected to last for six days. It will examine how Hannah came to her death using the testimony of witnesses and experts.

 

Hannah’s mother will be represented at the inquest by partner, Michelle Victor, senior associate, Angela Bruno and solicitor Andrew Jackson, of the food safety team at law firm Leigh Day.

 

According to Allergy UK, about ten people each year die in England and Wales from an allergic reaction.

 

The government brought in strict rules around allergen labelling in food products in 2021 after the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who suffered an allergic reaction to eating a Pret A Manger baguette containing sesame in 2016.

 

Image: P. Cartwright / Shutterstock