Who was Órla Baxendale? All about the British ballet dancer who died after eating mislabeled cookie

Órla Baxendale, a British ballet dancer, passed away in Connecticut on January 11, 2024, from an anaphylactic shock after eating a cookie containing peanuts. She reportedly bought the mislabeled snack from Stew Leonard's, a grocery store chain in the northeastern United States.

A statement was issued on behalf of the family by their attorneys, Howard S. Hershenhorn and Marijo C. Adime, as per People. They stated that her family is "devastated by this unimaginable loss" and added,

"She was a radiant and brave soul who pursued her dreams relentlessly, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of those who knew her."

The 25-year-old reportedly used an EpiPen, but it was unable to save her, as per the BBC. About 500 packages of the cookies were sold, according to Stew Leonard's. After her death, the company asked customers to return the cookies to their stores.

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Órla Baxendale dies after eating a mislabeled Stew Leonard's cookie

Órla Baxendale was born in 1998 and raised in Manchester, UK, where she started Irish dance very early. As per Sky News, she later learned other dance styles and began training at Northern Ballet Academy, Leeds, UK, and Elmhurst Ballet School, Birmingham, UK.

She moved to New York from East Lancashire, England, to pursue a dance career. According to her online obituary, Órla Baxendale was “an exquisite ballet, contemporary, and Irish step dancer” who was the “embodiment of enthusiasm, strength, and beauty.” She had a severe nut allergy and died of anaphylactic shock on January 11, 2024.

The dancer had eaten some cookies that she bought while in Connecticut. She was preparing for her performance in the titular role of a dance company's adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, her family told the BBC. Stew Leonard's was the local grocery retailer that sold the vanilla Florentine cookies Baxendale consumed at an event.

The company has since issued a recall of the 500 packs of sweets in partnership with the Food and Drug Administration. They say the seasonal items were sold at two of their three Connecticut stores, in Danbury and Newington, from November 6 to December 31, 2023. The recall has stated,

"Customers with nut allergies should bring back the product to customer service for a full refund."

Órla Baxendale's EpiPen was ineffective after she went into shock. The family's attorneys, Howard S. Hershenhorn and Marijo C. Adime, talked about her carefulness about her allergy and how she always had EpiPen's in her person. They said,

"Orla was very careful and hyper-vigilant about everything she ate, and always thoroughly checked the ingredients on all packaging. In addition, she always carried an EpiPen with her and surrounded herself with people who knew how to administer one. In fact, when this tragic and preventable incident occurred and after she began to have an anaphylactic reaction, an EpiPen was used but due to the severity of her allergy, it was not effective."

Adime also called out CEO Stew Leonard Jr's insistence that his grocery store chain was not informed by Cookies United, the cookie manufacturer, that the ingredients now included peanuts. However, the Long Island-based bakery alleged that it had updated the company in July 2023, as per People.

"Instead of standing up and taking full responsibility as the public would have expected them to, as the family of Orla would have expected him to, Stew Leonard’s is engaging in a public relations media campaign and promoting their own self-interests," Adime said.

The attorneys also added that a "preliminary investigation has revealed that Órla's death occurred due to the gross negligence and reckless conduct of the manufacturer and/or sellers.".

At the moment, no lawsuit has been filed against either party. Órla Baxendale's family stated that she had been planning to go on a global tour with her dance company, MOMIX, as per the BBC.