Grocer's Gaffe Leads to Tragedy: Family Suing Safeway Over Mislabeled Cookies
Family alleges elderly woman passed away following consumption of incorrectly labeled cookie; lawsuit filed against supermarket.
Hey there! There's some troubling news brewing about a lawsuit against Safeway. Here's the lowdown on a heart-wrenching incident that led to the death of a 78-year-old grandmother, Peggy Bryant, in Duvall, Washington.
Peggy, who suffered from a severe peanut allergy, tragically passed away after consuming a mislabeled cookie she purchased from her local Safeway store on April 7, 2023. The cookies, which were incorrectly labeled as oatmeal raisin, actually contained peanut butter, causing a fatal allergic reaction.
According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Peggy ate one of the cookies from the package, felt nauseous, and went to the bathroom. Shortly after, her husband found her unresponsive and called an ambulance. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Peggy succumbed to her condition within an hour.
The King County Coroner confirmed that Peggy's cause of death was anaphylaxis and peanut toxicity, classifying it as an accidental death.
A month after Peggy's demise, Albertsons Companies, which owns Safeway, recalled the same 18-count oatmeal raisin cookies from the same store where Peggy had purchased them. The recalled cookies were sold between April 5 and April 17, 2023, and no other store locations were listed in the recall.
The company acknowledged in a press release that they had received a report that a package of cookies was labeled as Oatmeal Raisin but may have contained Peanut Butter Cookies[1][2][3][4][5].
"The evidence clearly demonstrates that a deadly cookie mislabeled and sold by Safeway killed Peggy Bryant, who had a loving family that truly adored her," as noted in the court documents. "Peggy Bryant will be deeply missed, as she was an irreplaceable woman in the lives of her friends and family."
Albertsons Companies has yet to respond to FOX Business' request for comment. The family's lawsuit against Safeway seeks $9.5 million in damages[1][2][3][4][5].
Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
[1] https://www.foxnews.com/us/safeway-recalls-oatmeal-raisin-cookies-mislabeled-peanut-butter-cookies-death[2] https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/peanut-allergy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies-woman-death[3] https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/safeway-recalls-cookies-oatmeal-raisin-peanut-toxin/287-c03d756a-bc4c-4a32-85d3-069e2b5b093d[4] https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/05/04/safeway-recalls-cookies-after-woman-dies-peanut-allergy/68675422007/[5] https://www.kxly.com/2023/05/04/peanut-allergy-oatmeal-raisin-cookies-lead-death-lawsuit-against-safeway/
- Unfortunately, the tragedy of Peggy Bryant's death highlights the importance of accuracy in food-and-drink labeling, especially for items containing common allergens such as peanut butter.
- The health-and-wellness community is expressing concern over the Safeway cookie incident, advocating for stricter general-news policies around food labeling to prevent similar accidents.
- As the lawsuit against Safeway progresses, the outcome could potentially impact the science of food and drink packaging and labeling, ensuring a safer lifestyle for those with allergies in the future.
