Person dies in Connecticut after reportedly eating mislabeled cookies, recall issued

A person has died after reportedly consuming mislabeled cookies that contained peanuts, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) said Tuesday. 

The Connecticut Department of Public Health and DCP are warning the public about cookies sold at Stew Leonard’s grocery stores that contain undeclared peanuts. Stew Leonard’s issued a recall Tuesday for their Vanilla Florentine Cookies, which were sold in Stew Leonard’s Danbury and Newington stores. 

One death that was initially reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may be associated with the cookies, the DCP said. The person was a resident of New York and in their 20s, the department said, and reportedly consumed the cookies at a social gathering in Connecticut. 

The cookies were a seasonal product sold only at the Danbury and Newington stores from Nov. 6 to Dec. 31, Stew Leonard said in a statement recalling the cookies on Tuesday.

The cookies were produced by Cookies United, a wholesaler in New York, but labeled with Stew Leonard’s brand name. DCP said it worked with the supermarket chain to remove all baked items produced by the wholesaler in Stew Leonard’s Connecticut locations. 

DCP investigators are working with public health officials in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, the FDA, and Stew Leonard’s to determine what caused the error and if other products were affected, the department said.

Stew Leonard’s is a regional chain that has locations in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. 

“This is a heartbreaking tragedy that should never have happened,” said DCP Commissioner Bryan Cafferelli in a statement. “Our condolences go out to the family affected by this incident.”