Girl died after drinking Costa hot chocolate, investigation finds

Girl died after drinking Costa hot chocolate, investigation finds

Lei Day
Hannah died of a suspected allergic reaction

A 13-year-old girl with a severe allergy to dairy products had an “immediate reaction” after drinking a sip of Costa Coffee hot chocolate made with soya milk, an inquest has heard.

Hannah Jacobs, from Barking, east London, who was allergic to dairy products, died within hours of drinking the beverage on 8 February 2022, East London Coroner’s Court reported.

Her mother, Abimbola Duale, who ordered the drink, said her daughter’s reaction to the beverage turned her “anger into fear.”

This investigation will last for six days.

‘My heart is broken’

In a statement given to the inquest, Ms Duile said her daughter “could have achieved a lot in this world”.

She added: “I will always remember her as a happy child, I loved my baby girl so much and I am heartbroken.”

Mother and daughter visited the Costa Coffee branch on Station Parade in Barking, which is owned and operated by a franchisee.

Ms. Duile ordered two soy hot chocolates before taking Hannah to the dentist.

Ms Duile said she was “extra picky” and so specific about orders she could “seem like a mad mum” but her attitude was that she “must be honest with staff”.

‘That wasn’t soy milk’

Describing the reaction of the staff behind the counter to her request, Ms Duile told the court: “I think she didn’t understand what I was saying, which is why I leaned forward so she could hear what I was saying.”

Hannah took her first sip of this drink while she was at the dentist, which was only a short distance away.

Ms Duile said Hannah “suddenly got up and went into the toilet and started screaming ‘this isn’t soya milk'”.

He said Hannah’s reaction was “immediate” and she was coughing up mucus.

Ms Duile then took Hannah, who was complaining of chest pains, to a nearby pharmacist because her “lips and mouth were very swollen and she was itching.”

EpiPen Injection

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East London Coroner

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