Stew Leonard’s cookies containing undeclared peanuts led to the death of a 25-year-old woman due to a severe allergic reaction.
The cookies were recalled, and health officials advised those with nut allergies to dispose of them.
The law firm Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf wrote, “Órla, a talented dancer, was just 25 years old when her life was cut short due to anaphylactic shock resulting from a severe allergic reaction.”
“Órla’s passing stemmed from an unfortunate incident involving the consumption of a cookie manufactured by Cookies United and sold by Stew Leonard’s, which contained undisclosed peanuts,” continued the statement.
“Preliminary investigation has revealed that Órla’s death occurred due to the gross negligence and reckless conduct of the manufacturer and/or sellers who failed to properly identify the contents of the cookie on the packaging,” explained the law firm.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health warned, that “Consumers with a nut allergy should immediately dispose of the cookies or return them to the point of sale and seek medical attention if necessary.”
Stew Leonard’s claims they were not informed of the recipe change by the supplier, while Cookies United asserts they did notify Stew Leonard’s about the ingredient change.
Stew Leonard’s asked those “with nut allergies should bring back the product to customer service for a full refund.”
Stew Leonard Jr., the chain’s president and CEO, said, “It’s a sad day for us.”
The executive said he bought the cookies “from an outside supplier and unfortunately the supplier changed the recipe and started going from soy nuts to peanuts and our chief safety officer here at Stew Leonard’s was never notified.”
“We have a very rigorous process that we use as far as labeling. We take labels very seriously, especially peanuts,” he continued.
“And our chief safety officer never was notified, we didn’t change the label, hence we sold about 500 packages of these cookies over the holiday,” he added.
Investigations are ongoing.
Walker Flanary III, the attorney for Cookies United, wrote in a statement, “It has come to the attention of Cookies United that a customer of Stew Leonard’s has tragically died as a result of eating cookies containing peanuts. Our hearts and condolences are first with the family of this Stew Leonard’s customer.”
“Unfortunately, considering the tragedy of these circumstances, we need to point out that Stew Leonard’s was notified by Cookies United in July of 2023 that this product now contains peanuts and all products shipped to them have been labeled accordingly,” the statement continued.
“This product is sold under the Stew Leonard’s brand and repackaged at their facilities. The incorrect label was created by, and applied to, their product by Stew Leonard’s,” concluded the attorney.
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