A professional dancer in New York City died after she ate mislabeled holiday cookies containing peanuts from popular supermarket Stew Leonard’s — and now the store and the wholesaler are pointing fingers at each other.
Órla Baxedale, 25, went into anaphylactic shock following a severe allergic reaction to Vanilla Florentine cookies on January 11, the law firm representing the family said in a statement today.
“Órla’s passing resulted from an unfortunate incident involving the consumption of cookies produced by Cookies United and sold by Stew Leonard’s, which contained undisclosed peanuts,” lawyer Marijo Adimey said in the statement.
“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 of November 6 – December 31, 2023.”
Órla Baxendale went into anaphylactic shock from a severe allergic reaction when she ate Vanilla Florentine cookies on January 11. Instagram / @orla_baxendale The cookie packaging was not properly labeled to indicate the product contained nuts. Connecticut Department of Public Health
Adimey claimed that the investigation into Baxendale’s death revealed “negligence and reckless conduct on the part of the manufacturer and/or seller” for not stating on the cookie packaging that the product contained nuts.
“This failure of proper disclosure led to this devastating but preventable outcome,” the lawyer wrote.
Baxedale, a UK national, ate the food at a social gathering in Connecticut, according to News 12.
The Manchester native moved to New York City to train as a scholarship student at the Ailey School in 2018, according to the school’s website.
Baxedale moved to New York City from the United Kingdom six years ago to pursue her dream of becoming a professional dancer. EverLoved
Baxedale has performed during New York Fashion Week and has been involved in a dance production at Lincoln Center.
Stew Leonard’s claims that the Long Island bakery that supplied the cookies did not inform it of the ingredient change in the vanilla Florentine Cookies.
“I’m here with our family and, I mean, we’re all devastated, very sad. I have four daughters, one of whom is in her 20s. I can only imagine how that family feels right now,” said CEO Stew Leonard Jr. in the released video, according to News 12.
Stew Leonard’s claims it was not notified of any ingredient changes to the cookies. News12 Bronx Owner and CEO Stew Leonard Jr. in a video statement following the dancer’s tragic death. News12 Bronx
The wholesaler, Cookies United, however, claimed it had shared ingredient changes with the regional supermarket chain months before Baxedale’s death.
“Stew Leonard’s claimed in a previous press release that ‘the cookies contain peanuts, which are ingredients not disclosed to Stew Leonard’s by the manufacturer,'” United Cookies wrote in a statement Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, given the tragedy of this situation, we have to point out that Stew Leonard’s was notified by Cookies United in July 2023 that this product now contains peanuts, and that all products shipped to them were labeled accordingly.”
Despite the supermarket’s claims, United Cookies said it notified the supermarket of the change to the recipe in July. News12 Bronx
The wholesaler claims that Stew Leonard’s changed the packaging to represent the store brand but failed to properly label the cookies as containing nuts before they hit the shelves.
Stew Leonard’s said the product is only sold at its Danbury and Newington locations.
The supermarket has since issued a recall for the seasonal product on Tuesday.
Baxedale is a professional dancer in New York. Instagram / @orla_baxedale
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection’s Division of Food, Standards and Product Safety (DCP) shared that it is investigating the fatal accident 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 Tuesday, adding that they will find out how “this mistake happened and prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.”
“It’s really tragic and shouldn’t have happened,” Punita Ponda, Northwell Health’s associate chief of allergy and immunology, told News 12.
Baxedale ate the food at a social gathering in Connecticut. EverLoved
“From the manufacturer’s point of view, this is something that if care is taken at a sufficient level to prevent this from being an exposure to that person, that is the first level of prevention.”
Ponda emphasized the importance of checking labels adequately 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. It is the same thing. If you go and can be exposed to food under any circumstances, you should bring your EpiPen,” Ponda told the outlet.
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