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Published January 25, 2024, 6:45 am ET
A professional dancer in New York died after eating a mislabeled peanut holiday cookie sold at the popular supermarket Stew Leonard's, as the store and wholesaler pointed the finger at the culprit.
Órla Baxendale, 25, suffered anaphylactic shock due to a severe allergic reaction on January 11 when she ate a vanilla Florentine cookie, lawyer Marijo Adimey released in a statement on Wednesday.
According to News 12, Baxendale, a British native, ate the treat at a social gathering in Connecticut.
“Órla's death was due to an unfortunate incident involving the consumption of a cookie manufactured by Cookies United and sold by Stew Leonard's that contained unknown peanuts,” Adimey wrote.
“This tragic oversight has resulted in the recall of Vanilla Florentine Cookies from Stew Leonard's stores in Danbury and Newington, CT for the period November 6 through December 31, 2023.”
Órla Baxendale suffered anaphylactic shock due to a severe allergic reaction when she ate a vanilla Florentine cookie on January 11th. Instagram / @orla_baxendale The cookie packaging was not properly labeled to show that the product contained peanuts. Connecticut Department of Health
Marijo said an investigation into Baxendale's death found “gross negligence and reckless conduct on the part of the manufacturer and/or sellers” because the cookies' packaging did not indicate that the product contained peanuts.
“This failure to make proper disclosure led to this devastating but avoidable result,” the attorney wrote.
According to the school's website, the Manchester native moved to New York City in 2018 to pursue a scholarship at the Ailey School.
Baxendale moved to New York City from the United Kingdom six years ago to pursue her dream of becoming a professional dancer. Always loved
Baxendale had performed during New York Fashion Week and been involved in dance productions at Lincoln Center.
Stew Leonard's said the Long Island bakery where they purchased the cookies did not inform them of a change in the ingredients of their vanilla Florentine cookies.
“I'm here with our family and I mean we're all just devastated, very sad. I have four daughters, one of whom is in her 20s. I can imagine how this family is feeling right now,” CEO Stew Leonard’s Jr. said in the released video, according to News 12.
Stew Leonard's claims that they were not informed of any changes to the cookie's ingredients. News12 Bronx owner and CEO Stew Leonard Jr. is seen in the video statement released following the dancer's tragic death. News12 Bronx
However, wholesaler Cookies United claimed it had shared the ingredient change with the regional supermarket chain months before Baxendale's death.
“Stew Leonard's claimed in a previous press release that “the cookies contain peanuts, an ingredient that the manufacturer did not disclose to Stew Leonard's,” United Cookies wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
“Given the tragedy of these circumstances, we regret to point out that in July 2023, Stew Leonard's was informed by Cookies United that this product now contained peanuts and all products delivered to them were labeled accordingly.”
Despite the supermarket's claims, United Cookies said it notified the supermarket of the changes to the recipe back in July. News12 Bronx
The wholesaler claims that Stew Leonard's changed the packaging to reflect the store's brand but failed to properly label the cookies as containing peanuts before they hit the shelves.
Stew Leonard's said the product was only sold at its Danbury and Newington locations.
The supermarket has since issued a recall for the seasonal product on Tuesday.
Baxendale was a professional dancer in New York. Instagram / @orla_baxendale
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection's Food, Standards and Product Safety Division (DCP) said it is investigating the fatal accident along with officials in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, the Food and Drug Administration and Stew Leonard's.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy that should never have happened,” DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli said in a statement released Tuesday, saying they will get to the bottom of the cause of this “mistake” and prevent a similar one from occurring Tragedy may occur in the future.”
“It's completely tragic and shouldn't be happening,” Punita Ponda, associate director of allergy and immunology at Northwell Health, told News 12.
Baxendale ate the treat at a social gathering in Connecticut. Always loved
“From the manufacturer’s perspective, this is something that represents the first level of prevention if sufficient care has been taken to ensure that it does not endanger the person.”
Ponda emphasized the importance of appropriately checking labels for those with known food allergies.
“It's like when you go out and you want to make sure you have your wallet and your ID. That is the same. If you are out and about and could come into contact with food in any situation, you should bring your EpiPen with you,” Ponda told the outlet.
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