Bethany Eaton Wiki
Bethany Eaton Biography
Who is Bethany Eaton ?
The maker of a purportedly dairy-free yogurt used in a vegan Pret a Manger wrap has broken down in tears at the investigation into the death of a mother of five who died after eating its product.
Bethany Eaton, managing director of Planet Coconut, gave evidence at the Bristol inquest of mother of five Celia Marsh.
Ms. Marsh, 42, suffered a fatal allergic reaction on December 27, 2017, shortly after eating a super vegan rainbow flatbread.
The dental nurse, from Melksham, Wiltshire, had a severe dairy allergy and collapsed in the street after eating the sandwich bought from the chain store in Bath, Somerset.
She had been on a post-Christmas shopping trip with her husband and three of her daughters at the time.
The Avon Coroner’s Court heard that the yoghurt was produced by Planet Coconut, which is the UK manufacturer and distributor of products developed by the Australia-based yoghurt company CoYo.
Ms Eaton told the hearing that she had set up Planet Coconut with her husband in 2011 to make dairy-free products and bought a license from CoYo founder Henry Gosling for exclusive UK rights.
The inquest heard that she admitted to not carrying out any testing of the raw product, which was made at a Tate and Lyle factory in the UK, despite the fact that the packaging came with a warning that it might have been exposed to allergens.
Ms Eaton told the inquest that “rightly or wrongly” she relied on assurances from others, specifically Mr Gosling, that her product was dairy-free and produced in a dairy-free environment.
Bethany Eaton told the hearing that she did not try Planet Coconut’s so-called ‘dairy-free’ product.
Celia Marsh, a mother of five from Melksham, Wiltshire, suffered from a severe allergy to dairy and later died in hospital from the reaction.
Family
Ms. Marsh’s family, including her husband Andy, arrived for her investigation earlier this month. Family members wept as the written statements were read out in court.
She acknowledged that she did not taste the ‘raw product’ of starch, known as HG1 that she acquired as part of the COYO license and said that her only regret was ‘trusting others’.
Giving evidence today at the inquest in Bristol, she said: ‘I didn’t think for a minute that it contained dairy.
‘We never tested the product as I was assured and believed it was made in an allergen free environment. A dairy free yogurt made in what I believe was a separate facility, area, or line that was completely allergen free.
‘That’s what we trust.
‘I had never been in the food industry. We did everything we thought we had to do.
“Henry assured me it was dairy-free and made in a dairy-free environment.”
The court heard that Planet Coconut yoghurt contained few ingredients, mainly coconut cream and ‘HG1’ starch supplied by sugar giant Tate & Lyle.
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Starch was identified as the possible source of contamination.
Ms Marsh’s death
The witness said that since Ms Marsh’s death all products are now tested, regardless of the source.
Ms Eaton broke down in tears under questioning by attorney Jeremy Hyam KC, who represents Ms Marsh’s family.
“I had a dairy-free facility and had ingredients that I thought were dairy-free because of the guarantees they gave me,” he said.
‘I didn’t think our product contained dairy. He sold me a license for a dairy free yogurt and I had to buy the product from him.
He was very protective of her product and, rightly or wrongly, I respected that. I did not believe that Henry and Tate & Lyle would produce a product that contained dairy.
“We all believed there was no risk because it was done in an allergy-free environment.”
Fighting back tears, she added: “I’m a little angry and upset about this.
“I didn’t just take their word for it, I took it on the fact that they had sold me a license for a dairy-free product and it has been made by Tate & Lyle with CoYo and created a very popular dairy-free yogurt product.” in Australia.
‘I regret buying a license and trusting someone else’s word and that’s what I regret.
“I am sorry that the investigations I did were not with Henry Gosling and I relied on his assurances and that is what I regret.”
The inquest also heard from Guy Meakin, interim managing director of Pret a Manger, who expressed “extreme sadness” to Ms Marsh’s family at the loss of her.
“If we had known it had dairy in it, we never would have used it,” he said.
He said all products were now labeled with ingredients and Pret had introduced allergen risk assessments.
Ms Marsh’s death followed that of 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died in 2016 after eating a Pret baguette containing sesame seeds.
Mrs. Ednan-Laperouse had a sesame allergy.
The tragedy prompted a review of food labeling laws. Retailers are now required to display the full ingredient and allergen label on every food made on the premises and prepackaged for direct sale, including sandwiches, pastries and salads.
Bethany Eaton Quick and Facts
- Celia Marsh, 42, died after an allergic reaction to a wrap from Pret in 2017
- The mother-of-five ordered a supposedly vegan rainbow wrap
- The yogurt in the wrap, supplied by Planet Coconut, was meant to be dairy-free
- Boss Bethany Eaton admitted not carrying out any testing of the raw product
Source: https://wikisoon.com/
