Food retailer Stew Leonard’s has recalled the cookies, saying they were ‘broken’ by the death of Órla Baxendale, whose allergy was too severe for her EpiPen
The family of Órla Baxendale are mourning the death of the 25-year-old dancer, who they say had a severe nut allergy and died of anaphylactic shock on January 11 after eating cookies labeled as peanuts.
Baxendale moved to New York from East Lancashire, England, to pursue a career in dance, according to a statement issued on behalf of the family by their attorneys, Howard S. Hershenhorn and Marijo C. Adime. Her family is “devastated by this unimaginable loss.”
“She was a bright and courageous soul who relentlessly pursued her dreams, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of those who knew her,” they said.
Stew Leonard’s — the local grocer that sold the Vanilla Florentine biscuits Baxendale consumed while at the event — has since announced a recall of 500 packages of the candy, in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration. They say the seasonal items were on sale at two of their three Connecticut stores, in Danbury and Newington, from Nov. 6 to Dec. 31, 2023. They had their best until Jan. 5, 2024.
“Customers with nut allergies should return the product to customer service for a full refund,” the recall states.
Baxendale’s lawyer Adime released a second statement saying the dancer had an EpiPen but her allergy was too severe. “Orla was very careful and hyper-vigilant about everything she ate, and she always thoroughly checked the ingredients on all packages. In addition, she always carried an EpiPen with her and surrounded herself with people who knew how to use it,” said the lawyer.
“After she started having an anaphylactic reaction, an EpiPen was used, but due to the severity of her allergy, it was not effective,” he added.
Stew Leonard has recalled Florentine Cookies.
Leonard’s stew
Stew Leonard’s expressed its condolences in a video statement released by Stew Leonard’s Jr. “It’s a sad day for us. We’re all just heartbroken, very sad,” he said. “I have four daughters, one of them is in her 20s. I can imagine how that family feels right now and we are all very, very sad about this whole thing.”
Leonard Jr. added that the cookies were manufactured by wholesaler Cookies United of Islip, New York, and repackaged by Stew Leonard’s.
“The supplier changed the recipe and started switching from soy nuts to peanuts and our Chief Safety Officer at Stew Leonard’s was never notified,” Leonard Jr. claimed.
But Cookies United insists otherwise. “Cookie United notified Stew Leonard’s in July 2023 that this product now contains peanuts and all products shipped to them have been labeled accordingly,” they said in a statement. “This product is sold under the Stew Leonard’s brand and repackaged at their facilities. Stew Leonard’s created the incorrect label and applied it to their product.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(609x162:611x164)/orla-peanut-allergy-012524-5b2735ae97294006aa5b01d5937067a7.jpg)
“In the 24 hours since Cookies United became aware of this tragedy, we have been working with the New York State Department of Agriculture and have been advised that we are complying with all applicable rules and regulations regarding this product,” the statement said, which also expressed its “deepest condolences ” company of the Baxendale family.
Asked for comment about Cookies United’s claims, a representative for Stew Leonard’s referred PEOPLE back to Leonard Jr.’s original statement.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Meanwhile, officials from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) are now investigating the incident.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy that should never have happened,” said DCP Food Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli. “DCP Food Investigators are working hard with the Department of Public Health, local health departments, New York and New Jersey state officials, the Food and Drug Administration and Stew Leonard’s to determine how this error occurred and prevent a similar tragedy from occurring in future. Our condolences to the family affected by this incident.”
“Proper labeling so that people with food allergies can protect themselves appropriately is of the utmost importance. I am devastated to learn of this incident and will be working with partners to ensure we can protect people with food allergies. I cannot stress enough the importance of allergy awareness to food so that this avoidable tragedy does not happen again,” said DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani. “We will continue to work with all of our partners — including restaurants and retailers — to provide education about the dangers of food allergens to follow best practices to keep Connecticut residents safe.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education