WESTON, FLA. (WSVN) - - A Weston teen suffered a fatal allergic reaction after accidentally eating Chips Ahoy peanut butter cookies, and her mother said more could have been done to show the difference between the regular and peanut butter cookie packaging.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Kellie Travers-Stafford described the events leading up to her daughter’s allergic reaction.
Stafford’s mother posted a photo of both the Chewy Chips Ahoy packaging: both red and only a Reese’s logo in the top right corner to differentiate the two types of cookies.
“There was an open package of Chips Ahoy cookies, the top flap of the package was pulled back and the packaging was too similar to what we had previously deemed ‘safe’ to her,” wrote Travers-Stafford.
The 15-year-old ate one of the peanut butter cookies, and her mother said she began feeling a tingling sensation in her mouth. Her daughter returned home, but her condition worsened.
“She went into Anaphylactic shock, stopped breathing and went unconscious,” wrote Travers-Stafford. “We administered 2 epi pens while she was conscious and waited on paramedics for what felt like an eternity.”
Her mother said that Stafford died within an hour and a half of eating the cookie.
Now, Travers-Stafford is calling for awareness to Chips Ahoy’s packaging.
“The company has different colored packaging to indicate chunky, chewy, or regular but NO screaming warnings about such a fatal ingredient to many people … It’s important to us to spread awareness so that this horrible mistake doesn’t happen again,” wrote Travers-Stafford.
Chips Ahoy has responded to the situation and wrote in a statement, “We take allergens very seriously. Chewy Chips Ahoy! made w/ Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups packaging clearly shows that it contains peanuts through words and visuals. Package color indicates Chewy, Chunky, or Original. Consumers should always read the label for allergy information.”
We take allergens very seriously. Chewy Chips Ahoy! made w/ Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups packaging clearly shows that it contains peanuts through words and visuals. Package color indicates Chewy, Chunky, or Original. Consumers should always read the label for allergy information.
— Chip (@ChipsAhoy) July 14, 2018
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