A 25-year-old professional dancer in New York City died after consuming a cookie that was incorrectly labeled and contained undisclosed peanuts. The cookie, manufactured by Cookies United and sold by a supermarket in the city, has ignited a blame game between the store and the wholesaler.
Orla Baxendale died of a severe allergic reaction causing an anaphylactic shock on January 11, as confirmed by a statement from the family lawyer. The attorney revealed that an investigation into Baxendale's tragic death unveiled what she called "gross negligence and reckless conduct" by the manufacturer and/or sellers for failing to disclose the presence of peanuts in the product, the New York Post reported.
"This tragic oversight has led to the recall of the Vanilla Florentine Cookies from Stew Leonard's stores in Danbury and Newington, CT, for the period of November 6 - December 31, 2023," the attorney said in a statement as quoted by NY Post.
Baxendale, a UK native, had moved to New York City in 2018 to pursue dance as a scholarship student. Her promising career included performances during New York Fashion Week and contributions to dance productions at Lincoln Center.
The supermarket, however, has shifted responsibility to the Long Island bakery supplying the cookies, claiming they were not informed of a change in ingredients. The supermarkt's CEO expressed his condolences in a video, acknowledging the family's grief and the tragic nature of the incident.
The company that makes the cookies, Cookies United, contested the supermarket's assertions, stating that the ingredient change was communicated months before Baxendale's death. The wholesaler accused the supermarket of neglecting to properly label the cookies, even alleging that the supermarket modified the packaging under their brand without adequate disclosure.
