Allergy process failures caused girl’s death at Costa Coffee: Coroner

A 13-year-old girl with a severe dairy allergy died after drinking a Costa Coffee hot chocolate made with cow's milk due to a "failure to follow the processes in place to discuss allergies," according to a coroner's ruling.

The girl, Hannah Jacobs from Barking, east London, suffered a fatal allergic reaction after consuming the drink on 8 February 2023.

Assistant coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe also pointed to a "failure of communication" between the coffee shop staff and Hannah's mother, Abimbola Duyile, as a contributing factor in the tragedy, as reported by the BBC.

Following the inquest, Duyile criticised the food industry, accusing it of treating allergy training as a "tick box exercise" rather than a serious responsibility. She emphasised that the consequence of this negligence was the death of her daughter, stating, "The consequence... is that my daughter is no longer here."

Costa Coffee expressed their condolences, calling the loss of Hannah a "tragedy" and extending their thoughts to her family and friends.

The company also indicated that they are reviewing the coroner's comments and will carefully consider any recommendations made in the report.

On the day of her death, Hannah and her mother visited a Costa Coffee branch in Barking, where Duyile ordered two soya hot chocolates, noting her daughter's severe dairy allergy.

However, despite these precautions, Hannah was served a drink containing cow's milk, which triggered a hypersensitive anaphylactic reaction.

The inquest revealed that although the barista, Urmi Akter, attempted to accommodate the request, there were significant communication issues.

These failures, combined with the lack of a prescribed EpiPen on hand, led to Hannah’s death within hours.

A Costa Coffee spokesperson said: "Understanding how this awful situation occurred is in the interest of everyone - our franchise partners, our customers, our team members, and the communities of which we are a part.

"We have listened to everything the coroner has said this week and will carefully consider her comments together with any report she may issue and respond appropriately."