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I'm 58, and growing up in the 1960's and 70's I never knew anyone with a food allergy. Now it's peanuts, soy, gluten, etc.
I'm older than you are, and they were around, though I didn't meet them until I was older. A former co-worker was allergic to strawberries. It wasn't too bad; usually just hives. My husband's college friend is allergic to shellfish, and a woman I met through my hiking club is allergic to tree nuts. They'd all been to the ER. This isn't new.
Surprised the conspiracy folks have not chimed in with the usual "this sounds fishy, they were looking for a payout so they enlisted the friend's help in setting her up to eat peanuts".
CORRECTION: Not "this sounds fishy" but "this sounds nutty"
Nope. That's not a valid excuse. If she indeed had a food allergy she should have known to look at the packaging first before just reaching in and grabbing a bite. I have known food-allergic consumers since, like, junior high and all knew to do that.
I just googled the two images, and the cookies with and without the peanuts are in pretty much identical packaging. When the flap is down it is easy to see the peanut butter part. But it was opened, so it looked just like the cookies the girl had eaten countless times in her own home. Why would she start picking it up and looking at every angle if it looked just like the package of cookies she's eaten at home? She saw the open bag sitting there and just reached in and took a cookie.
We sometimes have a child visit our home who has a peanut allergy, but it makes me nervous. His mom also does not send an epi pen with him. I'm wondering if I should start insisting on that. I can't guarantee everything in our home doesn't have any cross-contamination with peanuts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sundaydrive00
I would check with the mother and see what needs to happen if he accidentally eats any type of nut product. If his allergy is severe enough that he would need an epi pen, then yes, I would insist that he brings it with him.
I just googled the two images, and the cookies with and without the peanuts are in pretty much identical packaging. When the flap is down it is easy to see the peanut butter part. But it was opened, so it looked just like the cookies the girl had eaten countless times in her own home. Why would she start picking it up and looking at every angle if it looked just like the package of cookies she's eaten at home? She saw the open bag sitting there and just reached in and took a cookie.
Because of the reality that she could die? To me that seems like a pretty good reason for making sure that the cookies were what she thought they were, and not to just assume.
I mean, if she had ever been in the cookie aisle at a supermarket, she should have been aware that many cookies and particularly Chip Ahoy come in different types and flavors in similar looking packages. There are at least a half dozen different flavors of each the blue package regular Chips Ahoy and the red package Chewy Chips Ahoy, plus there are also brown package Chunky Chips Ahoy, also with multiple flavors.
I just googled the two images, and the cookies with and without the peanuts are in pretty much identical packaging. When the flap is down it is easy to see the peanut butter part. But it was opened, so it looked just like the cookies the girl had eaten countless times in her own home. Why would she start picking it up and looking at every angle if it looked just like the package of cookies she's eaten at home? She saw the open bag sitting there and just reached in and took a cookie.
Wouldn't one bite tell someone it was different from a regular chocolate chip cookie? Even if they could not recall ever tasting peanuts? Peanut butter is a pretty strong flavor. Granted, we don't know if the girl ate the whole cookie or several cookies or just one bite, but the articles I've read say she ate a cookie.
Maybe even if she'd spat out the first bite immediately, she still would have died, but I have a hard time believing she ate a whole cookie and had no idea it wasn't a regular one.
And I certainly think that if the parents told her, "Chips Ahoy in the red package is fine!" then they are partly to blame. If you go to the store and buy those cookies at all, you must be aware that there are a bunch of flavors in red wrappers. I googled quickly and saw at least eight different Chips Ahoy varieties in red packages and they are clearly not all the same.
The mother's own statement, "The packaging was too similar to what we had previously deemed 'safe' to her" is completely damning. This poor girl had not been taught to be responsible for her own allergy and to check ingredients for herself, even by the age of 15. Did her parents think they would always be around to vet her snack choices, her entire life?
And I certainly think that if the parents told her, "Chips Ahoy in the red package is fine!" then they are partly to blame. If you go to the store and buy those cookies at all, you must be aware that there are a bunch of flavors in red wrappers. I googled quickly and saw at least eight different Chips Ahoy varieties in red packages and they are clearly not all the same.
Yeah. Well cookie and snack companies are constantly coming out with different versions of the same thing, new flavors, etc. It's not reasonable to assume you're always getting the same thing.
I just googled the two images, and the cookies with and without the peanuts are in pretty much identical packaging. When the flap is down it is easy to see the peanut butter part. But it was opened, so it looked just like the cookies the girl had eaten countless times in her own home. Why would she start picking it up and looking at every angle if it looked just like the package of cookies she's eaten at home? She saw the open bag sitting there and just reached in and took a cookie.
Except the cookies with peanut butter literally say "peanut butter" all over the packaging with pictures of Reese's peanut butter cups as well. It also says Reese's peanut butter cups (with the large logo)on the side of the countainer.
Not to mention you can actually see the peanut butter in the cookies. So not only did she completely miss the packaging the cookies were in, but she didn't even look at the cookie she was eating.
I just googled the two images, and the cookies with and without the peanuts are in pretty much identical packaging. When the flap is down it is easy to see the peanut butter part. But it was opened, so it looked just like the cookies the girl had eaten countless times in her own home. Why would she start picking it up and looking at every angle if it looked just like the package of cookies she's eaten at home? She saw the open bag sitting there and just reached in and took a cookie.
I understand she’s only 15, but I have a cousin with severe allergies to peanuts, eggs, etc and she learned very young to look at ingredients on all packages. Very sad this girl didn’t do the same even if the packaging was similar. I doubt Chips Ahoy could be deemed liability as the packaging did disclose it included peanuts even though the packaging looks similar to the one that doesn’t. Sad regardless!
In looking more at the packaging, while the ultimate fault lies with the girl, I can totally see now where someone would make a mistake in grabbing a cookie from a package that they were familiar with from the past. Just one of those tragic things that happen in the blink of an eye, that has terrible consequences. Hopefully it will be a learning experience for others, which is why I now think it is good for the mother to warn others. There are many horrible things in life that have happened for the first time (like the kid who suffocated to death in the back seat of a Honda minivan), but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be safeguards in place in the future to prevent it from ever happening again. Yeah, I know, I get it, we can blame the mother/daughter here (like I did), but that doesn't mean nothing should be done.
This is the packaging for the same cookie from two years ago as comparison:
If the company can make a packaging change like that, certainly they can make different color packaging to differentiate cookies made with peanuts.
People should take a look at this site that has some eye opening pictures:
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