NATICK, Mass. — A Natick family is suing Panera Bread after they say a young girl with a peanut allergy was given a grilled cheese sandwich that contained peanut butter.
The family said it happened at the end of January when Elissa Russo ordered online from the Panera in Natick. According to paperwork obtained by FOX25, the family ordered the sandwich online and specifically noted, twice, that the grilled cheese was for a child with a peanut allergy.
According to the lawsuit, when the 5-year-old girl began to eat her meal, she told her parents the grilled cheese sandwich tasted funny and that her throat felt "weird."
Her parents inspected the sandwich and saw that it had a dollop of peanut butter inside. The girl was rushed to the hospital and ended up spending the night.
This is the order the family says it placed at Panera https://t.co/mZ1kTx4dLE pic.twitter.com/WluE4wwu46
— Boston 25 News (@boston25) June 6, 2016
According to the lawsuit, a similar mistake happened a month later at the Wayland Panera. A grilled cheese arrived with peanut butter and caused a child to suffer an anaphylactic reaction.
Panera does post a warning that it cannot guarantee foods will be free of allergens because of shared equipment, but the Russo's attorney said this isn't a case of accidental cross contamination.
Cox Media Group
