Órla Baxendale’s family visited her grave on January 11, the one-year anniversary of the 25-year-old’s heartbreaking death from anaphylaxis. Instead of sharing a laugh or reveling in a performance by the vibrant dancer, her parents and siblings are cherishing memories of their “loving and kind” Órla.
“We can’t believe that it’s been a year since our precious Órla was stolen from us. We miss her deeply and talk about her every day,” her family told Allergic Living in a group response. Órla’s parents Simon and Angela Baxendale, along with her sisters Niamh and Ciara, and her brother Rowan, live in England.
The dancer’s life ended tragically on January 11, 2024 – simply because of a cookie not labeled for peanut. Órla was severely allergic to peanut and tree nuts. However, as peanut was not shown as an ingredient on the package, she had no idea the cookie was dangerous to her. The legume also was not shown in the allergen “contains” statement on the package’s label.
The cookie that triggered her fatal allergic reaction was from a package of Vanilla Florentine Cookies. The package was purchased at a Stew Leonard’s supermarket in Connecticut, and made by supplier Cookies United.
Órla, the youngest in the Baxendale family, moved from East Lancashire, England to New York City in 2018 to pursue her dance career.
The talented dancer began her American dance career at The Ailey School, and was with the Momix Dance Company, based in Washington, Connecticut at the time of her death. She was one of multiple dancers performing as Alice in Wonderland in Momix’s production of “Alice” when tragedy struck.
“We will never stop sharing Órla’s story and telling everyone about how talented, beautiful, funny, and most importantly, how loving and kind she was,” the family said.
Órla Tragedy: State Settles with Grocer
Allergic Living also updates the status of investigations into the allergen mislabeling at the state and federal levels. The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection launched a probe into the mislabeled cookies following Órla Baxendale’s tragedy.
Upon the investigation’s conclusion, Stew Leonard’s accepted a voluntary compliance agreement in June 2024, Kaitlyn Krasselt tells Allergic Living. Krasselt is director of communications for the Department of Consumer Protection.
The department’s “priority throughout the investigation was protecting public health and safety and preventing any similar tragic incident from occurring in the future,” Krasselt says.
The agreement outlined requirements for Stew Leonard’s. They include:
- Hiring an internal compliance manage for food safety, training and reporting.
- Establishing and maintaining written storewide policies and procedures for accurate labeling. This applies to food provided by suppliers that is relabeled, as well as food produced and labeled onsite.
- Providing annual procedure training for all current and new employees who handle food.
- Contracting an independent third-party compliance monitor for three years, starting July 2024.
- Donating $200,000 to one or more nonprofit organizations with a focus on food allergy and anaphylaxis research, prevention and awareness. Stew Leonard’s told the state agency that it donated $200,000 to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).
- Paying $50,000 to the department to be used for consumer education and outreach. That payment was submitted in June 2024, Krasselt says.
FDA Issues Stern Warning
The Food and Drug Administration also launched an investigation into the mislabeled cookies because of Órla Baxendale’s tragedy. The cookies were recalled on January 23, 2024.
By November 2024, the FDA issued a formal warning letter to Stew Leonard’s that lists several “significant misbranding violations tied to undeclared allergens in its cookie products.”
The warning letter is the result of an inspection of the supermarket chain’s Danbury, Connecticut facility that began in late January 2024. The two-week investigation concluded that the Florentine cookies are misbranded under the Federal Food Drug & Cosmetic Act labeling law.
The law spells out that ingredients that are major food allergens must be listed in the ingredients and, optionally, in an adjacent ‘contains’ statement. The cookies did not declare peanut and egg on the label, despite containing the major allergens, the letter states.
Stew Leonard’s had 15 days from receiving the letter dated November 18, 2024 to respond, outlining steps it would take to address the violations. Stew Leonard’s declined to comment. The FDA did not respond to requests for comment.
The FDA’s letter warns that failure to adequately address their concerns may result in legal action including, without limitation, seizure or injunction.
Baxendale Family’s Lawsuit
The family is also suing the supermarket and cookie maker to hold them accountable. “To continue to fail to make it right for the family is really galling,” their attorney Howard Hershenhorn told Allergic Living. He’s a partner in the New York City firm Gair, Gair, Conason, Rubinowitz, Bloom, Hershenhorn, Steigman & Mackauf.
The firm filed the Baxendale family’s wrongful death lawsuit in May 2024. The complaint, filed in Connecticut Superior Court, names the Stew Leonard’s chain, individual employees, and the supplier Cookies United. The lawsuit seeks monetary and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and other costs.
The inaccurate cookie labels have been a point of controversy between the New York-based Cookies United and Stew Leonard’s. After Órla’s death, both businesses blamed each other for the mislabeling.
Stew Leonard Jr., the grocer’s CEO, said the cookie supplier had failed to inform the supermarket that the cookies’ ingredients had changed to include peanuts. But Cookies United said it sent a notice to Stew Leonard’s in July 2023 about the addition of peanut. The company says it emailed several employees about the change.
The dispute over claims of communication regarding the ingredient change to include peanut is ongoing, Hershenhorn says. The case, which will go to trial in state court in Waterbury, Connecticut, is in the discovery phase. The family’s attorney is hoping to get depositions finished within six months, and be ready for trial within a year.
“Stew Leonard’s is litigating and defending as hard as they can, which is their prerogative,” Hershenhorn says. But he says the way the supermarket is handling the case shows “a lack of compassion and no caring for what happened to this family and to this young woman.”
Stew Leonard’s declined to comment on pending litigation.
Órla Tragedy: Advocacy in Dancer’s Name
Órla Baxendale was vigilant about managing her food allergies. After Órla’s tragedy, dance colleagues and friends told Allergic Living about her allergy diligence. For example, she ensured that anyone she was with knew about her food allergy, and how to use an epinephrine auto-injector.
She carried two auto-injectors at all times, and always checked food labels, and informed restaurant servers about her allergies.
Now the dancer’s family is working to raise awareness about food allergies in her memory.
The Baxendales have worked with nonprofit organizations in the UK, including Anaphylaxis UK, Allergy UK and The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation (NARF). The family has raised about $25,000 so far in her memory.
In April, Órla’s brother Rowan will run the 2025 TCS London Marathon in her memory, raising money for Anaphylaxis UK. Her father, Simon, and brother-in-law, Tom, also plan to run a half marathon, raising money for NARF.
The Baxendale family keeps her memory alive by including her in everything they do, the family says. For example, they wear vibrant clothes in a nod to the young woman’s colorful style. On Christmas, they feasted on Órla’s favorite lasagna dish, instead of a traditional roast turkey meal.
Órla Baxendale’s infant niece never got to meet her aunt. Niamh Baxendale gave birth to little Josie Órla, just a few months after her sister’s tragic death. The child “carries her name with pride.”
The family says they have received hundreds of online messages, letters, photographs and gifts from people whose lives Órla touched over her 25 years.
“Our lives will never be the same again without Órla but we will cherish the memories we hold forever,” they say.
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