A former police officer who launched a multi-million pound yoghurt model didn’t check a supposed ‘dairy-free’ product that killed a girl who ate a Pret wrap, an inquest heard

Mum-of-five Celia Marsh, 42, suffered an allergic response to a vegan rainbow wrap, which contained yoghurt that was meant to be dairy-free, in a department of Pret a Manger in Tub, Somerset.

The yoghurt was equipped by ex-cop Bethany Eaton who advised  Avon and Somerset Coroner’s Courtroom on Thursday she regretted counting on ‘assurances’ from others about its dairy-free standing.

Dental nurse Mrs Marsh, from Melksham, Wiltshire, was out having a meal along with her household in December 2017, when she suffered a deadly anaphylactic response.

The £3.75 wrap contained a dairy-free yoghurt, which was later discovered to have traces of milk protein.

The product was equipped by Planet Coconut, a agency arrange by Ms Eaton when she was on maternity go away as she wished an alternative choice to the ‘unhealthy food plan’ tradition she had skilled inside the police.

She purchased the licence to market and distributed COYO within the UK from its Australian founder Henry Gosling – and constructed it right into a enterprise with shoppers comparable to Waitrose and Selfridges and a turnover of a number of million a 12 months.

However the inquest heard she admitted not finishing up any testing of the uncooked product, which was made in a UK Tate and Lyle manufacturing unit, regardless of the packaging arriving with a warning it might have been uncovered to allergens.

Ms Eaton advised the inquest she ‘rightly or wrongly’ relied on assurances from others, particularly Mr Gosling, that her product was dairy free and produced in a dairy free surroundings.

She acknowledged she didn’t check the ‘uncooked product’ of starch, referred to as HG1 she acquired as a part of the licence from COYO and mentioned her solely remorse was ‘trusting others.’

Giving proof on the inquest in Bristol, she mentioned: ‘I didn’t for one minute suppose it contained dairy.

‘We by no means examined the product as I used to be assured and believed it was made in an allergen free surroundings. 

‘A dairy-free yoghurt made in what I imagine was a separate facility, space, or line that was solely allergen free.’

Ms Eaton acknowledged when she obtained the product from Tate and Lyle it contained a warning it might have been made in an allergen surroundings – however felt her earlier assurances had been sufficient to not pursue this and put her thoughts comfy.

She refused to supply regrets relating to whether or not she ought to have carried out her personal checks with Tate and Lyle. 

After Mrs Marsh’s demise, Ms Eaton mentioned her firm carried out a ‘precautionary product recall’ and threw away 40 tonnes of yoghurt.

She mentioned the corporate had additionally modified processes to introduce strict testing for all uncooked supplies.

She added: ‘We check every little thing and opened up a minefield on testing inside the business. We’ve applied loads of various things and don’t depend on the assurances of anybody else.

‘I’ve by no means been within the meals business earlier than – I rent consultants to assist me do every little thing – and that’s what we did.

‘We didn’t check uncooked supplies earlier than – we didn’t imagine we needed to.’

The inquest continues.