World News for Students of English

21-08-2024 07:00

The death of 13-year-old Hannah Jacobs after drinking hot chocolate from Costa Coffee in London highlights the need for better allergy training.

Hannah’s mother informed the staff of Hannah’s severe dairy allergy; however, a failure in communication led to a fatal reaction. This tragedy is similar to Natasha Ednan-Laperouse’s 2016 death after consuming a Pret a Manger baguette, which resulted in the creation of ‘Natasha’s Law’ in 2021.

Campaigners argue that current allergy safety training in the food industry is inadequate and treated as a mere formality. They are calling for stricter regulations, including ‘Owen’s Law’, which would require allergens to be clearly listed on menus and more thorough allergy training for food service workers. Better awareness and education on the dangers of allergies, starting in schools, are also needed to prevent such incidents. Costa Coffee described Hannah’s death as a tragedy and emphasized the need for companies to improve their training practices.

Difficult words: fatal (causing death), mere (not large or important).

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