Dancer with severe peanut allergy dies after eating mislabelled cookies

globalnews.ca:

Connecticut after she ate a cookie from the American grocery store chain Stew Leonard that had not been properly labelled as containing peanuts.Órla Baxendale, a 25-year-old dancer, died of anaphylactic shock on Jan. 11 after she ate Stew Leonard’s vanilla Florentine cookies which she assumed, based on the label, were safe for her to consume despite her severe peanut allergy.

Baxendale’s EpiPen, a medication used to decrease one’s allergic reaction, could not save her life.Stew Leonard’s, which has locations in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, issued a recall for their seasonal Florentine cookies on Thursday, citing undeclared peanuts and eggs. The recall disclosed that one reported death “may be associated with the mislabeled product.”Baxendale’s family is now suing the grocer over claims of gross negligence and reckless conduct.

In a press release from the family’s legal team, lawyers called Baxendale’s death “devastating” but “preventable.”The lawyers said Baxendale moved from her hometown in East Lancashire, U.K., to New York in order to pursue a career as a dancer.“Her sudden loss is not only a personal tragedy for her family and friends but also a significant loss to the artistic community,” the law firm’s statement reads. “Órla’s vibrant spirit and her relentless pursuit of excellence in her art have left an indelible mark on all who knew her.”Baxendale’s dance company, MOMIX, shared a social media post announcing her death.

The company called Baxendale the “embodiment of enthusiasm, strength, and beauty.”The cause of the mislabelling is currently under investigation.On Wednesday, the day before the grocer’s recall was issued, Stew Leonard’s president and CEO, Stew Leonard Jr., released a video statement. In