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Nicola Passey had been worried sick because her daughter, Ruby, had been left starving. Nicola put the blame on Tesco for removing the Potato Alphabet Crispy Letters pack from their food line. Passey said that the potato letters are Ruby’s favorite meal, and won’t eat anything else, the Metro reports.
Ruby has autism. Because of this, she is very selective with things and food. Nicola had said that Ruby was willing to starve herself than eat anything other than the potato letters. Ruby’s mother said that they only have four remaining bags of the potato letters left. The seriousness of the situation had taken a new level.
Nicola, who lives in Rugeley, Staffordshire, said, “She would rather starve than eat anything else. Her condition means that she doesn’t like change. It has to be the Tesco’s own brand potato alphabet shapes. If they smell different, are different sizes, are a different color, she just won’t eat them.
“She’ll always have them with either Birdseye chicken dippers or Bernard Matthews turkey dinosaurs. But if she doesn’t have the potato letters she won’t eat them either. She’s had the letters for years.”
Nicola first found out about the removal of the product from Tesco when she attempted to purchase some bags online around three weeks ago. Then, local stores informed her that they had discontinued stocking the products. Nicola said that she had contacted the chain’s headquarters and pleaded to change their mind and bring back the potato letters.
Nicola said, “She’s more anxious now and she’s started to make excuses to not eat already, saying things like she has tummy ache. She’s drinking less now too. People who don’t really understand autism might think that I’m being petty, but it really is that serious.”
Nicola wrote a petition on Change.org and urged other people to sign for her daughter with the hashtag, #pleasehelpruby.
Nicola explained, “Autism is a very complex condition that is hard to understand especially if you don't know anyone with the condition. Sensory processing disorder can be just as hard and them both together is extremely difficult, not just for people around them but for the person themselves.
“They like routine, changes are impossible, they have certain rituals and things need to be done in a certain way are just a few. I can only speak for my child but I can see her struggling everyday with everything and diet in general but to now have this added to the situation is causing more unnecessary stress.”
A Tesco spokesperson said, “We constantly review the products that we sell, and always try to have the right range and products available for our customers. Unfortunately, this particular product is no longer available at Tesco but we will speak to the customer to find if there are other ways we can help.”
