British tourist, 19, died from allergic reaction in Mexico after eating burrito containing sesame
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A British teenager has died of an allergic reaction in Mexico after eating a vegetarian burrito containing sesame, despite restaurant staff being warned of his condition, an inquest said.
Joe Dobson, 19, from London, asked staff several times in Spanish and English to make sure there was no sesame in the food, the South London coroner learned.
Friends claimed that after just three bites, Joe knew there was sesame in his meal, but the restaurant staff didn’t seem concerned about his allergy and wouldn’t call an ambulance.
On November 1 last year, Joe, who was with friends in the beach town of Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo, had left his EpiPen in their apartment, but by the time they got back and used it, it was too late.
Joe Dobson was with friends in the beach town of Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo, Mexico (pictured)
The 19-year-old had increasing difficulty breathing and passed out before dying in hospital.
It’s the latest in a series of allergy sufferers being killed by food they’ve eaten as distressed families campaign to do more.
The parents of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, who died after eating a Pret a Manger sesame baguette in 2016, have since campaigned for tougher food safety laws.
They welcomed the introduction of “Natasha’s Law” last year, which requires full labeling of ingredients and allergens on food.
Natasha Ednan-Laperouse (left) died after eating a Pret a Manger baguette containing sesame in 2016, while mother of five Celia Mash (right) – who had an acute dairy allergy – died after eating a Pret a Manger -wrap contaminated with traces of milk in 2017
Grief-stricken families demand tougher food safety laws
Joe Dobson, 19, is just the latest allergy sufferer to die after eating a meal with a deadly ingredient for them.
Mother-of-five Celia Marsh, 42 – who had an acute dairy allergy – died after eating a Pret a Manger wrap that was contaminated with trace amounts of milk in 2017.
And in 2016, Natasha Ednan-Laperouse also died after eating a Pret a Manger baguette that contained sesame.
Meanwhile, 31-year-old This Morning producer Amy May Shead went into anaphylactic shock after eating just one bite of a chicken and rice dish that contained nuts and is confined to a wheelchair, partially paralyzed and unable to see properly. to speak. .
Celia Marsh’s eldest daughter Ashleigh Grice, 27, said: “As a family, we believe that action needs to be taken now by the food industry and government. We need better testing, better labeling and better healthcare.’
Celia Marsh, 42, died after eating a Pret a Manger vegan wrap that contained traces of milk, despite having an acute dairy allergy
Meanwhile, her father Nadim said at the time of Natasha Ednan-Laperouses’ investigation: “Our beloved daughter died in a tragedy that never happened and we believe this investigation has shown that she died due to inadequate food labeling laws.
“We feel that if Pret A Manger followed the law, the law would be playing Russian roulette with our daughters’ lives.
Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died after eating a Pret a Manger sandwich in 2016
“It is clear that the food labeling laws as they are now are not fit for purpose and now is the time to change the law.
“Natasha’s inquest should serve as a turning point to make meaningful changes and save lives.”
‘Natasha’s Law’ would later be introduced thanks to her parents who fought for stricter food safety laws. It requires complete labeling of ingredients and allergens on food.
They said they are also right behind the family of . stood mother of five Celia Mash – who had an acute dairy allergy – after she died in the same way from eating a Pret a Manger wrapper that was contaminated with traces of milk in 2017.
Coroner Mark Taylor told the court last Wednesday that Joe was allergic to sesame, eggs, milk and peanuts.
He also described how staff did not understand the gravity of the situation. “The staff told him to drink some honey and lemon juice and he did it to keep them quiet,” he said.
In a statement read by Mr Taylor, Harriet Preston, a friend of Joe’s, said she had gone to visit him and they shared an Airbnb together.
She said, “I’ve known Joe for three years. He never failed to celebrate my achievements with me, no matter how small.
“I was aware of his medical condition and that he was carrying medication. I was visiting him while he was working there.
‘We had a normal day, chilling on the beach, going to town, looking around the shops.
‘We decided to have dinner at a fusion restaurant they’d been to before. Joe ordered a vegetarian burrito and said no sesame and used the Spanish word.
“After ordering, there was communication between them to make sure there was no sesame in his meal.
“When the food arrived, it was sent back because Joe thought it contained sesame.”
Joe had tried to communicate to the staff in plain English that he would die if he ate sesame.
But Harriet added, “Joe’s meal arrived again and I watched him put his flashlight over it. He took two bites and said no, that’s in it.
“He went to the bar staff, they were in denial. He felt it in his throat. He said he needed an ambulance, but the staff was reluctant.
‘The staff did not treat our situation as it was. There was no basic first aid or knowledge.’
A second friend who was also there that night, Ryan, said that Joe made his allergies clear to the staff at the restaurant and that they had eaten there before without any problems.
He told the court in a statement: “This time he noticed that the burrito looked different.
“He sent it back, but it didn’t look any different. He repeated his allergies several times. He took one to three bites, he felt something was wrong. He let the group know.
“He didn’t have his EpiPen with him. He became more and more urgent in his requests, took the honey drink.
“He went to the apartment to get his EpiPen. He ran to the taxi and the driver was very nonchalant and walked slowly to the door. He didn’t understand the seriousness at all.
“This escalated by the time we got to the apartment. Joe went straight to the elevators. He fell over.
“I ran upstairs to get the pens, grabbed them and ran back downstairs. Joe had managed to get into the elevator and get to our floor, so I dragged him out of the elevator and took out the pins, but the pins didn’t help him.’
The coroner described how after Joe passed out, a police car took him to the local hospital, but the doctors were unable to resuscitate him and he died that night.
Mr Taylor said: ‘It appears there was a gap of 10-15 minutes before the pen could be used. I have no evidence to tell me if it would have made any difference in terms of outcome.
‘I suspect there are a lot of factors to take into account, the amount of sesame and absorption factors.
“It seems very clear to me that Joe did everything he could reasonably have done to warn the restaurant not to serve him food with sesame and even kept an eye on himself.
“And it’s very clear to me that it was the sesame in the restaurant’s food that caused the allergic reaction.
Joe acted unconsciously by eating the food with sesame, which caused the fatal reaction.
“This shouldn’t have happened and with someone like Joe his age.”