Natasha’s Law improves U.K. Allergen Labeling

Natasha Ednan-Laperouse was only 15 years old when she bought a sandwich at a sandwich shop in Heathrow Airport before taking a flight to Nice in July of 2016. She experienced anaphylaxis on the airplane. Despite receiving two EpiPens on the plane, she later passed away at a hospital after landing in Nice. Yet one more death attributed to food allergy.

Natasha was allergic to sesame. The sandwich she purchased contained sesame–though not visibly. The sandwich fell into a gray-area category of food labeling: a fresh food pre-prepared on the premises that didn’t need its own ingredient label. (U.S. laws are similar.) However, it seemed the sandwich was labeled enough that Natasha felt safe eating it, believing it did not contain sesame.

Natasha’s Law and Allergen Labeling

Since Natasha’s unfortunate death, her family has worked tirelessly to change allergen labeling laws. Recently, lawmakers passed Natasha’s Law, which will require full ingredient disclosure on pre-packaged foods in the U.K. by 2021.

Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, Natasha’s parents, said they were “delighted” by the announcement of the change. Their goal is to protect other allergic customers.

Read more about the law and our thoughts on how this would look in the US by going to our main blog here.