A lawsuit has been filed by the family of a 78-year-old woman who died from a severe allergic reaction, targeting a supermarket for its alleged role in her death.
On April 7, 2023, Peggy Bryant visited a Safeway store in Duvall, Washington, where she purchased a cookie along with other items. She consumed what she thought was an oatmeal cookie soon after her shopping was done.
However, her daughter, Lisa Bishop, recounted that Peggy soon realized the cookie was not oatmeal after taking a bite.
Tragically, Peggy suffered a severe allergic reaction and died, just months shy of her 60th wedding anniversary.
Lisa has initiated legal action against Safeway, which is owned by Albertsons Companies, claiming that the cookie was mislabeled as an ‘oatmeal raisin cookie’.
In a conversation with KING 5 Seattle, Lisa claimed that her mother quickly realized ‘the cookie she was eating was actually a peanut butter cookie’.
“And she’s deathly allergic to nuts – peanuts,” Lisa added.
Peggy was rushed to the hospital immediately, but Lisa stated that her mother passed away within an hour.
The family requested a full coroner’s report, which allegedly showed that Peggy’s death was ‘clearly’ due to ‘anaphylaxis’.
According to Mayo Clinic, “Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. It can occur within seconds or minutes of exposure to something you’re allergic to, such as peanuts or bee stings.”
A family member mentioned that the coroner reported Peggy’s blood vessels had ‘basically broken down’.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) subsequently conducted an inspection of Safeway.
Following the inspection, a recall was issued, and Safeway released a notice entitled ‘Albertsons Companies Voluntarily Recalls Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Sold at a Safeway Store in Duvall, Washington Due to an Undeclared Peanut and Soy Allergen’.
In the aftermath, Peggy’s family has pursued a lawsuit against Safeway over the past two years.
The lawsuit calls for accountability and demands enhancements in the store’s food labeling practices.
“The last few moments of my mom’s life were tragic and awful and painful,” Lisa expressed.
Lisa appealed to Safeway to ‘do the right thing’, emphasizing her mother’s story to prevent similar incidents in the future.
She concluded: “Labels are there for a reason and we don’t want anyone else to die from mislabeling.”
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