British Ballet Dancer Dies from Severe Allergic Reaction to Mislabeled Cookies in US

Cookies United and Stew Leonard’s in Dispute Over Responsibility for Mislabeling Incident

Órla Baxendale, a 25-year-old British ballet dancer, died of anaphylactic shock on January 11, 2024, after eating a mislabelled Vanilla Florentine Cookie in the US that did not list nuts among its ingredients.
The cookies were produced by Long Island-based wholesaler Cookies United and sold under the Stew Leonard’s brand name in its stores in Danbury and Newington, Connecticut.
Stew Leonard’s announced a recall of the cookies in partnership with the US Food and Drug Administration after Baxendale's death.
Cookies United claims it had notified Stew Leonard’s in July 2023 that the product contained peanuts and that all products shipped to the retailer had been labelled accordingly.
Baxendale, who had a severe peanut allergy, was described as a 'radiant force' and had moved from East Lancashire to New York to pursue her dancing career.