[Trigger Warning]
A Washington state family is pursuing legal action against the grocery chain Safeway following the death of their 78-year-old mother, Peggy Bryant. The family contends that a severe allergic reaction, triggered by a mislabeled cookie purchased from the store, led to her passing. Peggy Bryant, described by her daughter Lisa Bishop as being full of joy and fun, was nearing a significant milestone, preparing to celebrate 60 years of marriage with her high school sweetheart.
The tragic incident occurred on April 7, 2023, after a shopping trip to the Safeway in Duvall. According to Lisa Bishop, her mother, who loved oatmeal raisin cookies, purchased a package labeled as such from the Safeway brand. However, upon taking a bite, Peggy Bryant immediately recognized that the cookie was not oatmeal raisin but peanut butter.
This realization was critical because Peggy Bryant had a severe, life-threatening allergy to peanuts. Despite being rushed to the hospital immediately after ingesting the cookie, her condition rapidly deteriorated. Tragically, she passed away within an hour of the incident, as confirmed by her daughter.
To ascertain the exact cause of death, the family requested a full report from the coroner. The subsequent blood results confirmed the family’s suspicions. Peggy Bryant’s son-in-law, Greg Bishop, stated that the coroner concluded the cause of death was clearly anaphylaxis, noting that her blood vessels had effectively broken down due to the severe allergic reaction. Following the incident, the health department conducted an inspection and requested a product recall, to which Safeway responded by issuing a notice.
Devastated by the loss and the circumstances surrounding it, Peggy Bryant’s family is now taking legal action. They claim the company’s alleged labeling error resulted in a preventable tragedy that has irrevocably changed their family. Lisa Bishop expressed the profound pain of her mother’s final moments and emphasized their goal: “Do the right thing, and I don’t want it to happen to anybody else. Labels are there for a reason and I don’t want anybody else to die from mislabeling.”
Safeway and its legal representatives have not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter.
Here is a news report from King 5 News, Seattle:
We send our sincere condolences to the Bryant family on the tragedy that has befallen Ms Bryant. We hope they are successful in their lawsuit and in their efforts to bring attention to this tragedy.
We don’t know whether Ms Bryant had epinephrine on hand and whether it was administered, but we remind our readers that epinephrine is the only drug that can halt and reverse the progression of anaphylaxis, a severe, life-threatening reaction to a food, drug, insect venom, or environmental substance like latex.
Be sure to always take 2 epinephrine doses along everywhere, every time, and administer the first when you first suspect anaphylaxis.
