The entrance to Stu Leonard’s in Westchester, New York
A New York City woman died from an allergic reaction to peanuts after eating a cookie sold by the grocery chain Stew Leonard’s that was not properly labeled, officials and her attorneys said.
The woman, Órla Baxendale, a 25-year-old native of East Lancashire, United Kingdom, had moved to New York to pursue a career as a dancer. She died on January 11 from anaphylactic shock “resulting from a severe allergic reaction,” according to the law firm that represents her family, Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman, and Mackauf.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Stew Leonard’s had issued a recall issued a recall of the Vanilla Florentine Cookies sold at Stew Leonard’s in Danbury and Newington, Connecticut in the period November 6 through December 31, 2023.
The grocer along with the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection updated its notice on Thursday to recall the vanilla and chocolate Florentine cookies because they contain undeclared peanuts and eggs.
“People with an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts or eggs run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products,” the company said in the recall notice.
Baxendale’s death took place due to “the gross negligence and reckless conduct” of the manufacturer and sellers who failed to properly identify the contents of the cookie on the packaging,” an attorney with the law firm, Marijo C. Adimey, told FBT.
“This failure in proper disclosure has led to this devastating yet preventable outcome,” Adimey wrote. “Instead of standing up and taking full responsibility as the public would have expected them to do, Stew Leonard’s is engaging in a public relations media campaign.”
Founded in 1969 in Norwalk, Connecticut, Stew Leonard’s is a regional chain of seven supermarkets, with locations in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
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