New York dancer dies after eating mislabelled cookies that contained peanuts

Hartford (US), January 26

A New York City woman died after eating a mislabeled cookie containing peanuts, part of a batch that has since been recalled.

Stew Leonard’s announced on Tuesday that Vanilla Florentine Cookies sold in its grocery stores in Danbury and Newington in Connecticut from November 6 to December 31 were being recalled in partnership with the Food and Drug Administration. The retailer said about 500 packages of the holiday cookies were sold.

The cookies contained peanuts as an unlisted ingredient and a New York resident died after eating them at a social gathering in Connecticut, state health and consumer protection officials said.

That person was identified on Thursday as Órla Baxendale by a law firm representing her interests. Baxendale died on January 11 after suffering anaphylactic shock resulting from a severe allergic reaction, according to a post on the website for Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman and Mackauf.

Baxendale was born in East Lancashire in England and moved to the city to pursue a career as a dancer, according to the post.

“Her passion for dance extended well beyond a single discipline as she was an exquisite ballet, contemporary, and Irish step dancer,” read an online obituary for Baxendale.

The cookies were produced by the the Long Island-based wholesaler Cookies United and labeled with the Stew Leonard’s brand name, according to state officials.

Stew Leonard Jr., president and CEO of the retailer, said in a video posted Wednesday that the supplier went from soy nuts to peanuts in the recipe without notifying their chief safety officer.

Cookies United said in a release that they notified Stew Leonard’s last July that the product contained peanuts and that all products shipped to the retailer had been labeled accordingly. Cookies United said the incorrect label was created by Stew Leonard’s.