Ruby Passeys’ condition means she is extremely selective (Picture: Mikey Jones/Mercury)

A mum claims her autistic daughter is starving because Tesco discontinued the only food she would eat for dinner.

Nicola Passey’s daughter Ruby, 5, will not eat dinner unless she is served Tesco own-brand Potato Alphabet Crispy Letters.

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Her condition means she is extremely selective and her mother says she would rather starve than eat anything else.

The 31-year-old said the situation is so serious it is now ‘life or death’ as the family only have four bags of the frozen potato bites left.


‘She would rather starve than eat anything else,’ said Nicola, from Rugeley, Staffordshire.

Her mum, Nicola, says the situation is now a matter of life or death (Picture: Mikey Jones/Mercury Press)

‘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 colour, she just won’t eat them. She’ll always have them with either Birdseye chicken dippers or Bernard Matthews turkey dinosaurs.

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‘But if she doesn’t have the potato letters she won’t eat them either. She’s had the letters for years.’

Nicola first discovered that Tesco were discontinuing the frozen potato letters around three weeks ago after she tried to buy some online.

Local stores informed her they also stopped stocking the product and she has since contacted the chain’s headquarters begging them to change their mind.

Nicola has started a petition to reintroduce the frozen shapes to stores (Picture: Mikey Jones/Mercury)

‘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,’ she added.

‘People who don’t really understand autism might think that I’m being petty, but it really is that serious.’

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Nicola has gathered hundreds of signatures on a petition calling for Tesco to bring their potato letters back for her daughter’s well-being.

A Tesco spokesman 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.’

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