Allergic Reaction After Eating In Pret A Manger – Can I Claim Compensation?

Personal injury claims could be made when someone with a duty of care towards you is negligent, and their negligence causes you harm. If you’ve sustained an allergic reaction after eating in Pret A Manger, or when eating or drinking items that have been purchased there and are being consumed elsewhere, you may assume that this is just an unfortunate accident. 

But if your allergy relates to Pret A Manger UK being negligent in serving you foods with allergens that are not listed in the Pret A Manger allergy guide, or because staff failed to leave out an ingredient that you’d asked to be omitted, this could lead to you being able to claim compensation for your allergic reaction.

This guide offers those who are in this position a wealth of information to make a claim for a Pret A Manger allergy incident. Whether you’re looking to claim as a dependent of a loved one that has lost their life to a fatal allergy caused by negligence, or you’re claiming for a reaction you’ve had yourself, you’ll find detailed information on food allergies, guidance on consumer rights for allergy sufferers, and details of how a lawyer could help you claim compensation for a Pret A manger food allergy. If you’d like to go ahead with a claim or have any questions about any of the information contained below, please do not hesitate to contact our expert team for free advice on 0800 073 8804.

Select A Section

• A Guide To Claims For An Allergic Reaction After Eating In Pret a Manger
• What Is An Allergic Reaction To Drinking Or Eating In Pret a Manger?
• Examples Of What Food Could Trigger Allergic Reactions
• Statistics On Being Allergic To A Food Or Drink
• I Asked For One Of The Following Items To Be Left Out
• The Food Or Drink I Asked To Be Left Out Was Still Served
• What Are My Rights Under The Consumer Rights Act?
• I Did Not Tell A Restaurant I Have An Allergy, Could I Make A Claim?
• Pret A Manger Allergy Menu
• Calculating Compensation For Allergic Reactions After Eating In Pret A Manger
• How Special Damages Could Compensate You
• How To Make A Food Allergy Damages Claim
• No Win No Fee Claims For Allergic Reactions After Eating In Pret A Manger
• How To Contact Us About Your Case
• Resources

A Guide To Claims For An Allergic Reaction After Eating In Pret a Manger

If you’ve suffered harm due to an allergic reaction after eating in Pret A Manger, you may be wondering whether this was just an accident, or whether it could lead to a claim. Food and drink service providers have certain responsibilities towards their customers. If they have been negligent in protecting customers from harm by providing inaccurate Pret A Manger allergy labelling on their pre-packaged products, or have not included correct allergen information on their menu, or even if they’ve put an ingredient in your meal that you’ve asked to be left out, leading to a Pret A Manger allergic reaction, you could make a claim for compensation. Supplying evidence of the outlet’s failings will be crucial.

In the sections below we explain more about what types of allergic reactions you could suffer and how a lawyer could help you with a food allergen court case. In addition, we’ll look at how much compensation you could claim and whether you could claim Pret A Manger death compensation if you’ve lost a loved one in a Pret A Manger peanut allergy death, for example. We also give you information as to your rights when it comes to ordering allergy-free food.

What Is An Allergic Reaction To Drinking Or Eating In Pret a Manger?

If you are allergic to something, your body would see it as a threat and try to respond to such a threat through the immune system. It is this immune system response that could lead to you suffering a range of allergy symptoms, which could range from minor to severe. 

Many people suffer from allergies, including those provoked by pet hair, pollen and dust, but others suffer from allergies related to the consumption of certain foods. If you’ve consumed something at Pret that you’re allergic to, then you could suffer an allergic reaction after eating in Pret A Manger right away, or you may notice symptoms some time afterwards.

What Is An Allergic Reaction To A Food Or Drink?

An allergic reaction to a food or drink could present symptoms right away, or, in some cases, symptoms could develop hours or even days after consuming an allergen. Symptoms could be relatively minor or could be severe. There are three main types of reaction, which we provide more detail on below:

Anaphylaxis – An extreme reaction to allergens, anaphylaxis could lead to a Pret A Manger allergy death if it is not treated immediately. Symptoms of anaphylaxis could include:

• Wheeziness
• Clammy skin
• Rapid heartbeat
• Loss of consciousness/collapsing
• Faintness/light-headedness
• Difficulties breathing
• Anxiety/confusion

Non-IgE Reactions – These could range in severity and could include symptoms such as:

• Constipation
• Cramps
• Dry, cracking, itchy/red skin
• Vomiting (diarrhoea would not be present)

IgE Reactions – Again, these could range in terms of how severe they are. You could experience one or more of the below:

• Faintness/light-headedness
• An itching or tingling feeling of your mouth
• Hives
• Nausea
• Swelling in the face, throat, body or mouth
• Symptoms like hay fever
• Trouble swallowing
• Vomiting
• Wheezing

No matter what symptoms you’ve experienced from your food allergy in Pret A Manger, if they were at fault for your allergic reaction, you could consider making a claim for compensation against them for their negligence.

Examples Of What Food Could Trigger Allergic Reactions

Depending on what type of reaction you’ve had in the past, you may have undergone food allergy testing to ensure you are aware of what to avoid when consuming food in a restaurant. While some allergies are more common than others, some common types of food allergy are listed below:

• Nut allergy
• Egg allergy
• Milk allergy
• Dairy allergy
• Wheat allergy
• Soy allergy
• Fruit allergy
• Cereal allergy
• Gluten allergy
• Celery allergy
• Seafood allergy
• Fish allergy
• Lupin allergy
• Mustard allergy
• Shellfish allergy

Statistics On Being Allergic To A Food Or Drink

If you’re wondering how common allergies are in the UK, it could be useful to see the below statistics from Allergy UK.

• Around one fifth of the population of the UK suffers one or more allergies
• 44% of British adults suffer allergies
• Nearly half of adult allergy sufferers have more than one allergy
• From 1992-2012, there was a 615% rise in hospital admissions for anaphylaxis
• In 2014, over 20,000 hospital admissions occurred due to allergies

I Asked For One Of The Following Items To Be Left Out

Have you checked the Pret A Manger allergy menu and asked a server to leave something out when preparing your food in order to avoid an allergic reaction after eating in Pret A Manger? If so, the server should attempt to comply with your request, according to government guidelines. If they aren’t able to do so, they should tell you so that you could order something else. 

You may consider requesting any of the below if these are the ingredients you are allergic to:

• No Wheat
• No Tomato
• No Oats
• No Nuts
• No Milk
• No Fish
• No Eggs
• No Cheese

The Food Or Drink I Asked To Be Left Out Was Still Served

When you request a food item not to contain a specific ingredient, and you receive your order, you would expect your request to have been complied with. However, if you have an allergic reaction after eating in Pret A Manger due to being served food that still contained the ingredient you’d asked to be left out, this could constitute negligence. If this has happened to you, you could be eligible to claim compensation if you can provide evidence of the failing.

How And When Negligence Could Cause Allergic Reactions

Pret A Manger could be negligent in various ways when it comes to serving foods with allergens contained within them. While they are free to serve foods containing allergens, they should not be negligent towards allergy sufferers. Negligence could cause an allergic reaction after eating at Pret A Manger in instances where:

• They have cross-contaminated foods with allergens you have told them you are allergic to
• They have ignored a request for an ingredient to be left out
• They have failed to warn you that an item cannot be prepared without an allergen
• They have failed to tell you what items contain allergens when you have specifically asked for this information
• They have failed to include allergy information on their menu, packaging, or website

Whether you’ve suffered a Pret A Manger peanut allergy yourself or lost someone you depended on financially to a Pret A Manger nut allergy death, if it was caused by negligence and you can evidence the outlet’s breach of duty, we can assess your case to see if it could be possible for you to claim compensation.

What Are My Rights Under The Consumer Rights Act?

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you have a right to be sold goods that are as described and that are not defective. In terms of food products, they should not:

• Contain allergens you’d informed staff you were allergic to (negligent selling)
• Contain allergens you’d asked to be left out, or be cross-contaminated with allergens asked to be left out
• Contain allergens not listed on their packaging, menu, printed materials or website

Negligent Failure To Provide Food Allergy Labelling

In September 2019, the government website published a press release confirming that allergy sufferers would have more protection from suffering allergic reactions from pre-packaged foods; the result of a campaign brought by the parents of a young woman who suffered a Pret A Manger food allergy death.

Natasha’s Law is named after the young woman who suffered a Pret A Manger sesame allergy death when she ate a sandwich which didn’t list sesame as being one of the ingredients. Prior to October 2021, pre-packaged food prepared on the premises of a place from which it was sold is not required to have food allergen labelling. However, from October 2021, it will be a legal requirement for such foods to list allergens.

If you’ve suffered an allergic reaction after eating in Pret A Manger, or from foods you’ve bought to take away from Pret, please do not hesitate to contact us, and we will be glad to assess your case to see if you could claim.

I Did Not Tell A Restaurant I Have An Allergy, Could I Make A Claim?

While you could be under the assumption that not telling staff about your allergies may preclude you from making a claim if you suffer an allergic reaction after eating at Pret A Manger, this may not be the case. There are certain allergens that foodservice providers must warn customers about. If they fail to do so, and a person suffers harm because of this, they may be able to make a claim for compensation. The allergens a food service provider must provide information on include:

• Celery (and celeriac)
• Cereals which have gluten in them – e.g. barley, wheat, oats and rye
• Crustaceans
• Eggs
• Fish
• Lupin
• Milk or lactose
• Molluscs
• Mustard
• Nuts
• Peanuts
• Sesame
• Soybeans
• Sulphur dioxide/Sulphites

Pret A Manger Allergy Menu

Currently, some Pret A Manger outlets are offering a reduced menu, but the menu below provides a list of the items currently being served. While this is accurate at the time of posting, some menu items may be subject to change. You would be wise to check for updates to the Pret A Manger allergy menu, or check the Pret A Manger allergy labelling on pre-packaged foods before ordering or consuming any dishes, particularly if you have severe allergies, such as nut allergies, dairy allergies and the like. This could help you avoid an allergic reaction after eating at Pret A Manger or consuming food you have bought from Pret to eat elsewhere.

Menu

Breakfast

• Breakfast Egg & Tomatoes
• Very Berry Croissant
• Bircher Muesli
• Watermelon & Lime
• Cinnamon Danish
• Apple
• Mango & Banana Sunshine Bowl
• Pret’s Fruit Salad
• Five Berry Bowl
• Pain Aux Raisins
• Almond Croissant
• Sweet Pastry Selection Box
• Chocolate Croissant
• Banana
• Smashed Avo Open Sandwich
• French Butter Croissant
• Mango & Lime

Lunch

• Chicken, Avocado & Basil
• Brie, Tomato & Basil
• Avo, Olives & Toms
• Hoisin Duck Salad Wrap
• Macaroni Cheese Prosciutto
• Houmous & Falafel Mezze
• Smoked Salmon Protein Box
• Salmon And Mango Salad Bowl
• Tuna & Cucumber
• Egg & Spinach Protein Pot
• Pret’s Lobster Roll
• Macaroni Cheese Kale & Cauli
• Wiltshire-Cured Ham & Greve
• Italian Prosciutto
• Scottish Smoked Salmon
• classic Supper Club
• Free Range Egg Mayo
• Smoked Salmon & Soft Cheese Open Sandwich
• Jambone-Beurre
• Chef’s Italian Chicken Salad
• Pole & Line Caught Tuna Mayo & Cucumber
• Houmous & Chipotle Wrap
• Tamari & Ginger Chicken Salad Bowl
• Ham & Cheese
• Posh Cheddar & Pickle
• Chicken Caesar & Bacon
• Tuna Nicoise Salad
• Chipotle Sweet Potato Salad Bowl

Soups

• Soup – Pea & Mint
• Soup – Pret’s Mushroom Risotto
• Soup – Chicken & Butternut Risotto

Kids

• Kids’ Free-Range Egg Mayo Sandwich
• Kids’ Cheese Sandwich
• Kids’ Ham Sandwich

Calculating Compensation For Allergic Reactions After Eating In Pret A Manger

If you were considering making a claim for compensation, you might be looking for a personal injury claims calculator to find out just how much compensation you could receive. However, these tools tend only to give a very rough estimate of compensation payouts. This is because they are unable to see the specific facts and circumstances surrounding your case, or the medical evidence that would be required to work out how much your claim could be worth.

Therefore, we have chosen to offer you some insight into compensation payouts in a different way. The table below offers figures taken from a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines. This publication could be used by lawyers and the courts to arrive at a value for a personal injury claim after all the evidence has been considered. These are only approximations as to how much certain injuries could be worth, but they could give you some guidance on how much compensation could be appropriate.

How Special Damages Could Compensate You

In addition to the compensation you could receive for the general damages relating to your claim for your allergic reaction to Pret A Manger food, which compensate you for pain and suffering as well as the loss of amenity, you could also look to recover any financial costs or losses incurred as a result of your injuries. These could include:

• Earning losses – if you’ve been off sick while recovering from your reaction, you may have lost out on some or all of your income. Such losses could be compensated for as special damages.
• Medical costs – costs for prescription drugs, counselling and other medical services could be compensated for.
• Care costs – if care has been needed at home due to your injuries, these costs could also be claimed for.
• Travel expenses – if you’ve incurred costs while travelling to see your lawyer or for a medical appointment relating to your reaction, you could claim these costs too.

How To Make A Food Allergy Damages Claim

Whether you’ve suffered an allergic reaction after drinking in Pret A Manger, or after eating food at Pret that you are allergic to, you may be wondering whether you could get your case assessed to see if you could be eligible for compensation. 

Here at Legal Expert, we are proud to offer a completely free, no-obligation telephone consultation to give you advice and support tailored to your unique case. Our expert advisors would ask you a few questions about your allergic reaction after eating at Pret A Manger and determine whether your personal injury claim could lead to compensation, as well as checking to see if your claim meets the personal injury claims time limit applicable to your case. 

Based on our assessment of your case, if we feel your claim could result in compensation, we could then offer to provide you with a Legal Expert personal injury solicitor who could take on your case and file a No Win No Fee claim on your behalf.

We have an excellent reputation amongst our former clients, and if you’d like to get some insight into how we have helped other claimants get the compensation they deserve, you could take a look at the reviews page on our website, which can be found here. We’re very proud of what we offer and would be glad to offer you the same quality service we have provided to our previous claimants.

No Win No Fee Claims For Allergic Reactions After Eating In Pret A Manger

If you were thinking of utilising the services of a personal injury solicitor to make a claim for compensation for an allergic reaction after eating at Pret A Manger, you may be relieved to know that this doesn’t necessarily mean you’d have to pay them upfront for their assistance. With No Win No Fee claims, you’d only pay a small, legally capped success fee if your case successfully concluded with a compensation settlement.

No Win No Fee claims’ terms and conditions are documented within a Conditional Fee Agreement that you’d be asked to sign before the solicitor started work on your case. Once this is signed, the solicitor could go ahead with proving your claim and once a compensation settlement was agreed, the success fee would be deducted from your compensation. If there was no compensation payout agreed, the success fee wouldn’t be payable, nor would you have to cover the costs that the solicitor incurred while they were fighting your claim.

We believe that No Win No Fee claims give every innocent victim of personal injury the chance to claim compensation from a liable party, no matter what their financial position. If you’d like to learn more about how these payment terms work or would like us to provide you with a lawyer that operates under these terms, you can call us at any time, and we’ll be happy to help.

How To Contact Us About Your Case

Whether you’re looking to have your claim for an allergic reaction after eating in Pret a Manger assessed to see if it could lead to compensation, or you’d like us to provide you with a personal injury lawyer to take your claim forward on a No Win No Fee basis, we’d be glad to assist you. You can contact our friendly, professional team in confidence at any time by:

• Calling our helpline on 0800 073 8804
• Emailing: info@legalexpert.co.uk
• Using the online contact form
• Or, through our Live Chat service.

Whether you have questions you’d like us to answer, or need guidance and support with starting a claim, we’re here to help.

Resources

Consumer Allergy Advice – Your rights as a consumer with allergies can be found here.

Coeliac Disease – Your rights as a coeliac sufferer can be found here.

How To Live With Allergies– The NHS provides some advice for allergy sufferers.

Food Allergy Claims Solicitors Guide – our detailed guide on making food allergy claims.

A Guide To No Win No Fee Solicitors – our guide on No Win No Fee claims.

A Guide To Pret A Manger Accident Claims – our guide on accident claims involving Pret A Manger

Other Guides You Can Read

• £4,500 Compensation For A Broken Little Toe Claim
• Allergic Reaction At A Mediterranean Restaurant – Can I Claim?
• Doncaster Sheffield Airport Accident Claims Guide
• Allergic Reaction At Planet Hollywood – Can I Claim?

Guide by Jeffries

Edited by Billing