Hannah Jacobs, a 13-year-old girl from Barking, East London, reportedly died Feb. 8, 2023, after drinking a Costa Coffee hot chocolate drink that triggered her severe dairy allergy. Now, her mother is fighting for justice.
Jacobs was with her mother, Abimbola Duyile, at a Costa Coffee branch in Station Parade, Barking, when they stopped to order a drink. According to court documents obtained by the Guardian, a staff member allegedly failed to adhere to established procedures for addressing allergies before they made the teen’s drink. Jacobs, who had suffered from severe allergies to dairy, fish, and eggs since early childhood, tragically passed away within hours after consuming her hot chocolate drink, which was mistakenly prepared with cow’s milk instead of soy milk, as her mother requested, according to the report.
Source: Yui Mok – PA Images / Getty
Assistant Coroner Dr. Shirley Radcliffe described the incident as a “failure of communication” between Jacobs’ mother and the coffee shop staff. The coroner also highlighted that neither Jacobs nor her mother had an EpiPen with them on the day of her death to treat her hypersensitive anaphylactic reaction, despite it being prescribed.
“The root cause of this death is a failure to follow the processes in place to discuss allergies combined with a failure of communication between the mother and the barista,” Radcliffe said.
Now, Duyile is fighting for justice on behalf of her daughter. She wants Costa Coffee to change its training policies. At a recent hearing held in the East London Coroner’s Court, the grieving mother maintained that she had specifically asked the staff to wash out their equipment before preparing her daughter’s drink. She claimed she had pointed out that the hot chocolate was originally made with milk and should be avoided due to her daughter’s severe dairy allergy.
Duyile testified that she had always been “extremely diligent” in managing Jacobs’ condition, emphasizing that the teen had never experienced a severe allergic reaction before this tragic event. During the hearing, Duyile expressed her anguish while holding up a photo of her beloved 13-year-old daughter. She described the late teen as “vivacious, caring, affectionate, outspoken, and energetic,” noting that she “had everything to live for and was so full of life and promise.”
Source: Yui Mok – PA Images / Getty
At the hearing, Costa Coffee staff revealed issues within the company’s allergy training policy.
According to Birmingham Live, employees provided written testimonies highlighting gaps in their training. One worker admitted to failing the allergy quiz 20 times before passing while another revealed that their husband had to assist with translations on their first day. Some staff members also relied on Google Translate to understand English materials.
Faton Abrashi, a regional operations manager for Costa Coffee in London responsible for allergy procedures, testified that Costa baristas were only allowed to serve customers who declared allergies if they had completed specific allergy safety training. Abrashi confirmed that, as of February 2023, there was no requirement for trainees to complete online modules in the presence of colleagues—they could do so from home. He noted that the online training was available only in English and that he, as a regional manager, was not informed about how many attempts each trainee made before passing the quiz.
Duyile is urging Costa Coffee to institute “robust training” on food allergies and “extra safeguards by implementing a process for the order details to be printed and stuck to coffee cups.”
During the hearing, she added, “Having heard all the evidence over the last week it is clear to me that although the food service industry and medical professionals are required to have allergy training, this training is really not taken seriously enough. And better awareness is needed in these industries and across society of the symptoms of anaphylaxis.”
Costa Coffee, via a spokesperson, said they were considering Duyile’s requests, the Guardian noted.
“The loss of Hannah is a tragedy, and our heartfelt thoughts remain with her family and friends. 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.”
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