A woman was taken to hospital after biting into a Subway sandwich that gave her an allergic reaction.
Kiera Gleed felt her throat tingling before her whole body began to swell up after ordering a sandwich from a store on Biggar Road, Edinburgh on Friday, February 3.
The 24-year-old, who is allergic to dairy, egg, wheat and nuts, spent five hours in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where it was revealed she suffered an anaphylactic reaction.
Kiera is now looking for answers from the sandwich chain after claiming she checked the company’s allergen guide, left an order note on Just Eat, and tried contacting the shop multiple times to ensure her order was kept away from all the ingredients she might react to.
She told STV News: “I had checked all the ingredients through the allergen menu and even though I’ve had it before with no issue I just like to double check, so I put in the notes to the restaurant in clear caps telling them to keep it away from any dairy, egg, wheat and nuts.
“I also tried calling the restaurant five times and it rang out each time.
“When it came I started to eat it as I was getting ready for work.
“I got three quarters of the way down and felt the back of my throat tingle, then felt the back of my tongue and gums start to swell up, as well as my throat.
“I had phoned my mum in panic and was told to get my EpiPen and phone an ambulance immediately.
“I went into a state of shock as a reaction like this hasn’t happened in years because of how careful I am.
“The ambulance took me in and slowly the reaction started to come down, my stomach then started to cramp and I was feeling very nauseous on the way to hospital.”
Kiera was given anti sickness medication and antihistamines before being put into an emergency observation ward.
She was released when her reaction started to calm down, and has now called for Subway and fellow restaurants to “take allergies seriously” and install a designated area for orders with allergen requirements.
Kiera added: “The NHS staff were amazing and did everything possible to help and I’m so thankful to each one who looked after me.
“Restaurants should take allergies seriously and popular brands like this should have a designated area for this type of order.
“People with allergies shouldn’t be made to feel like they can’t stay in and have to only rely on their own cooking.
“I work in a restaurant and when someone with allergies comes into my work I take it serious and prepare it separate and take it all into perspective.
“I’ve had these allergies for 24 years and always been so careful, this is the first severe reaction in years, so I did my part, subway should’ve done theirs.
“I just want safety and someone’s life to be taken seriously.”
A spokesperson for Subway said: “The safety and security of our guests is of paramount importance to Subway. We have very strict procedures in place to ensure that Subway restaurants serve products safely and to our customers’ satisfaction.
“All Subway restaurants are independently owned and operated by franchisees. The franchisee is already in direct contact with the customer and Just Eat, to fully investigate this matter, and ensure that we have all the facts and that the correct procedures have been followed.”
A spokesperson for Just Eat said: “At Just Eat, we take allergens seriously. We want our customers to have a positive experience when ordering food from partners on our platform and are sorry to hear that in this case, the customer’s experience did not reflect the standards expected.
“We are currently investigating this with the restaurant partner involved and are also in touch with the customer.”
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