Deliveroo to overhaul menus in wake of allergy death

Deliveroo has today announced changes to how it will display allergen content on menus in the wake of the death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who suffered a severe allergic reaction after unknowingly eating a Pret baguette which contained sesame.

Deliveroo is to overhaul the way customers can browse allergy information on its website.

The delivery firm is the latest in a number of chains which have improved the way that allergic customers can access information in recent weeks.

From December, Deliveroo will begin rolling out in-menu dish by dish allergen information for individual items providing customers greater allergen transparency before they order.

Deliveroo restaurant partners Tortilla, Tommi’s Burger Joint, Mildreds and Chipotle have already signed up to the new system in a December rollout, which will feature 30 restaurant brands across almost 300 sites. Meanwhile, other big brands such as YO! Sushi, PizzaExpress, Pho and Byron will later join the scheme in January.

Dan Warne, managing director of Deliveroo UK and Ireland, said: “This is great news for consumers who want more information about the food they are ordering online. Deliveroo believes that people should have an amazing delivery experience, and that must include making informed choices.Overhauling our menus is not a simple task, but customers with allergies need this extra transparency before they order which is why we are working with our restaurant partners to make it happen.”

Under the new system, customers will be able to see which of the 14 "EU allergens" - the top 14 foods which cause allergic reactions as designated by the European Union - that each individual food item contains when they are browsing the menu.