McVitie’s tells inquest that biscuits eaten by Stamford boy Benedict Blythe at Barnack Primary School did not contain allergens
Evidence from McVitie’s suggests traces of milk or nuts were not present in the gingerbread men snack a young boy ate before suffering a fatal allergic reaction.
The biscuit manufacturer Pladis, which produces McVitie’s products, had independent tests carried out on samples from the same batch of gingerbread men as was eaten by Benedict Blythe during the morning break at Barnack Primary School on December 1, 2021.
According to staff at the school, the biscuits, which he brought in from home, were the last thing he consumed.
An inquest jury at Peterborough Town Hall heard that five-year-old Benedict, who was allergic to cows’ milk and nuts, had refused an oat milk drink poured into his cup by his teacher.
However, staff at Barnack Primary School have been questioned extensively during the inquest about how Benedict’s oat milk, which was dairy-free, was stored in the same staff fridge as their cows’ milk, and alongside a different carton of ‘alternative milk’, which belonged to another pupil and was lactose-free milk and still contained dairy allergens.
In a statement for the inquest that outlined the independent, third-party testing carried out on the gingerbread men sample, Andrew Baldwin, who is responsible for the safety and quality of McVitie’s products, said: “The substances tested for [nuts and milk] were not present in detectable limits.”
He added that the tests would identify “extremely low levels of allergenic materials”.
Colette Firth, executive headteacher of Barnack Primary School, was asked about a phone call she made after Benedict had been taken to hospital, to the director of education at Peterborough City Council, Jonathan Lewis.
During the call, she said a pupil had suffered an allergic reaction after eating a biscuit, but she had not mentioned his oat milk.
Addressing the jury, she said: “The report to me that day was that Benedict had tipped away his milk and did not want it. That was my understanding on the day.”
Mrs Firth explained that school staff were not told to keep the bowl of Benedict’s vomit as evidence, nor were they asked to leave the unwashed cup that had contained his oat milk.
“We were not asked by anyone to conduct any sort of investigation,” she said.
“We were part of other people’s investigation.”
Earlier today (Wednesday, July 2), jurors were shown footage from a police officer’s body-worn camera as he surveyed the reception classroom at Barnack Primary School on the afternoon of Benedict’s death.
The footage captures images of a bowl of vomit on a table, as well as discarded packaging for two adrenaline auto-injectors that were used on Benedict, an asthma inhaler, a resuscitation kit, and a defibrillator.
Despite CPR by school staff, Benedict’s father and paramedics, Benedict died at Peterborough City Hospital about two-and-a-half hours after having an allergic reaction at school.
The inquest has heard evidence from Benedict’s parents, Helen and Pete Blythe, who live in Stamford, and from several members of school staff.
Further health evidence about Benedict, and a recording of the 999 call made after his collapse, are still to be heard by the jury.
The purpose of any inquest is to publicly investigate the circumstances surrounding someone’s death and how they died, but not to apportion blame. Benedict’s inquest is expected to continue into next week.