Food allergies can be a minor irritant at best and deathly fatal at worst, which is why restaurants and food joints need to be extremely cautious while handling meals for people with allergies. In an extremely tragic event in Mexico, a British teenager lost his life due to the lack of clarity on ingredients in the food served by the restaurant where he went to eat.
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As reported by Daily Mail, Joe Dobson who was only 19, ate a vegetarian burrito from a restaurant in Playa del Carmen in Mexico. He informed staff at the restaurant about his allergy to sesame, and asked them repeatedly if there was any of it in the burrito.
Inaction on the part of the restaurant
Reassured by the staff about there being no sesame, Dobson took only a couple of bites before he figured out that there indeed was sesame in his burrito.
As per the report, once Dobson realised that he had consumed sesame despite his best precautions, he and his friends asked the staff to call an ambulance. The restaurant staff refused to help. The teenager struggled to breathe and fell unconsciousness before dying in a hospital later.
According to the coroner Mark Taylor, Dobson was allergic to sesame, eggs, milk and peanuts. The restaurant staff simply could not comprehend the seriousness of his allergic reaction.
The dangers of sesame allergy
According to Food Allergy, while sesame allergy can be extremely dangerous , there is still a lot to do in order to ensure that allergens such as sesame in food are properly labelled.
In the UK, a new law was introduced in order to amend this shortcoming in food labelling. It is called ‘Natasha's Law’, after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, who died in 2016 after eating a Pret a Manger baguette which contained sesame.
In the USA too,starting January 1, 2023, sesame will become the ninth major allergen that companies are obligated to label in plain language on packaged food.
Sources used:
Daily Mail: ‘British tourist, 19, died from allergic reaction in Mexico after eating burrito containing sesame - despite warning restaurant staff of his condition’
Food Allergy: ‘Sesame Allergy’
Read more:
⋙ Woman died after fatal reaction to Pret A Manger wrap: Inquest begins
⋙ Allergy pills are in short supply, here are some alternatives you can try
⋙ 15-year-old-girl who died eating baguette has new allergy law come out in her name
