A coroner has ruled that a “lively, caring and affectionate” girl was severely allergic to dairy products, and died after drinking Costa Coffee hot chocolate made with cow’s milk, because “set procedures for discussing the allergy were not followed”.

Hannah Jacobs, 13, from Barking, east London, died on 8 February 2023 within hours of drinking the drink bought by her mother.

Assistant coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe also found there was a “lack of communication” between coffee shop staff and Hannah’s mother, Abimbola Duale.

Following the investigation, Ms Duile accused the food industry of treating allergy training as a “tick box exercise”, and said “the result of all this is that my daughter is no longer in this world”.

He added: “My beautiful Hannah only lived 13 years on this earth when she should have lived so much longer.

“Hannah loved life. She was a lively, caring, affectionate, outspoken and energetic child with a keen sense of right and wrong.”

Ms Duile added: “After listening to all the evidence over the past week it has become clear to me that although the food service industry and medical professionals are required to undertake allergy training, this training is not really taken seriously enough.

“There is a need for better awareness of the symptoms of anaphylaxis within these industries and across society.”

She added: “I have always been very careful in managing Hannah’s allergies and she had never had a serious allergic reaction prior to this incident.”

East London Coroner’s Court heard that neither Hannah nor her mother had a prescribed Epi-Pen on the day of her death.

Hannah and her mum visited the Costa Coffee branch in Station Parade, Barking, owned and operated by a franchisee, to buy two soya hot chocolates before visiting the dentist.

Barista Urmi Akhtar earlier said she had taken the order from Ms Duile and had reiterated the mother’s request that the jug be washed, and explained that hot chocolate was made with milk.

The inquest also heard that at the time of Hannah’s death, allergen training for new Costa staff consisted of a series of online modules that could be accessed at home and a quiz that trainees had to pass.

A post-mortem examination found that Hannah had died from a hypersensitive anaphylactic reaction to an ingredient in her hot chocolate which had caused an allergic reaction.

Dr Radcliffe said: “The root cause of this death is the failure to follow set procedures for discussing allergies and a failure of communication between the mother and the barista.”

parents of a 15-year-old girl who died after a severe allergic reaction Public outrage over a Pret-a-Manger baguette containing sesame has prompted calls for “urgent” government action to “improve understanding” of the allergy in schools, businesses and society.

Nadim and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, co-founders of food allergy charity Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, said: “We need urgent government action to raise understanding in schools, businesses and society that food allergy can be a serious, unpredictable health condition, not a lifestyle choice, and to ensure that people with allergies get timely access to NHS allergy care.

“Today, on behalf of Hannah’s grieving mother Abi, and other parents who have lost children to food allergies, we once again urge the Government to appoint an Allergy Czar – a national champion for the one in three people who suffer not just from food allergies, but from all forms of allergic illness, including asthma and eczema.”

Costa Coffee has been contacted for comment.

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