A pensioner died after choking on a piece of ham he was sampling at a Sainsbury's, his inquest has heard. Ronald Burns, 78, collapsed after eating the ham at the supermarket's delicatessen counter. The retired forklift driver stopped breathing after the piece of meat became lodged in his throat. The grandad-of-four was rushed to hospital where the ham was removed. But he died five days later because his brain had been starved of oxygen. Mr Burns's wife Vera, 76, told Alton Magistrates' Court that she had carried on shopping when her husband stopped at the delicatessen stand. But she soon realised he had not followed. Mrs Burns, from Kings Furlong, near Basingstoke, Hants, told the hearing: "When I saw him on the floor in the supermarket, my stomach turned. "It was a shock. He was there one minute, and then gone the next." The store's general assistant and first aider Henry Pledger was called to help Mr Burns, who had been put on a chair. Mr Pledger told the inquest he tried to do CPR after the incident in November last year before paramedics took Mr Burns to hospital. North East Hampshire coroner Andrew Bradley said: "The CPR is forcing air into his lungs so he can breathe. "When he gets to hospital, they remove the ham but it's that bit that has gone in the windpipe. "It's starved his brain of oxygen and that ultimately causes his death. It's quite a rare occurrence." Mr Bradley added that Mr Burns also had heart problems, which could have contributed to his breathing difficulties. He concluded that Mr Burns died as a result of the food being caught inside his throat and recorded a verdict of misadventure. Following the inquest, Mrs Burns, a retired post office cashier, said her husband had always asked for pieces of ham to try on their shopping trips. She added: "I wish I had never gone out that day but I can't go back and change it. "It's something that's taken away from you, just like that." She added: "He used to hold my arm when we went out together. "I know he's not coming back and I have to try and get on with my life."