Natasha Ednan-Laperouse's parents welcome Prince Charles's support in tackling 'allergy epidemic'

ITV News Reporter Louise Scott speaks to the parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died from a severe allergy reaction in 2016

Prince Charles says he hopes the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, founded by the parents of a 15-year-old girl who died from a sesame allergy, will "bring more hope" to people affected by allergies.

The prince hosted a two-day global symposium on allergies which was organised by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation and was attended by scientists around the world.

The foundation was set up by Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse, whose 15-year-old daughter, Natasha, died in 2016 following a severe allergic reaction to sesame in a Pret a Manger baguette.

The tragedy sparked an overhaul of food labelling laws which now requires retailers to display full ingredient and allergen labelling on every food item made on the premises and pre-packed for direct sale, including sandwiches, cakes and salads.

Charles has said he was “moved beyond words” by her death and the way her parents have “selflessly dedicated themselves to preventing other families suffering in the same way”.

Natasha's parents said they were delighted after Charles pledged the support of his Prince’s Foundation for their campaign to eradicate allergies.

Charles announced his determination to develop a partnership between his organisation and world-leading allergists at the symposium.

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"We are absolutely thrilled that His Royal Highness has pledged the support of his Prince’s Foundation to tackle the allergy epidemic," Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, co-founders of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation said.

"It will be a game-changer for the one-in-three people in this country with an allergy.

“It is quite clear that biodiversity and the environment are key factors affecting the the huge rise in the numbers of people with allergies.

"The learnings from this inspiring and informative symposium provide us with a blueprint toward eradicating allergies and it is crucial that new landmark studies in this field are fully funded now," they added.

On Wednesday, an inquest heard that Pret a Manger was not conducting its own checks on manufacturers supplying dairy-free products for its vegan ranges.

Avon Coroner’s Court is investigating the death of Celia Marsh, who suffered a fatal allergic reaction on December 27 2017, shortly after eating a super-veg rainbow flatbread.

Mrs Marsh, 42, a dental nurse from Melksham, Wiltshire, had a severe dairy allergy and collapsed in the street after eating the sandwich bought from the chain’s store in Bath, Somerset.

The yoghurt was produced by Planet Coconut, which is the UK manufacturer and distributor of products developed by Australia-based yoghurt company CoYo.

Kirsty Langford, a trading standards officer for Bath and North East Somerset Council, told the inquest Pret a Manger had not apparently conducted its own audit of the claims made by Planet Coconut.

“When a dairy-free claim is made on a product you expect some sort of testing to be taking place,” she said.

“That may not itself be the responsibility of Pret A Manger but it would probably be Pret’s responsibility to ensure their supplier was undertaking some sort of testing.”

The inquest is taking place at Ashton Court Mansion House in Bristol and is expected to last between two and three weeks.