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Disney sued after, family says, NYU doctor died from allergic reaction to restaurant meal
NEW YORK — The husband of a late NYU doctor is suing Disney after, he says, his wife died from an allergic reaction.
According to the lawsuit, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan, 42, ate at Raglan Road restaurant in Disney Springs back in October. She told the waiter she was highly allergic to dairy and nuts, and the waiter guaranteed the staff would prepare allergen-free food.
However, the suit states that she died shortly after and had elevated levels of dairy and nuts in her system.
The suit seeks more than $50,000 in damages under from both Raglan Road and Disney under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act.
CBS New York spoke to an expert about what needs to be done to prevent this from happening.
“There has to be more training. We need to work with the restaurant industry to better prepare the kitchen staff and wait staff. That way these kinds of things no longer happen,” said Sung Poblete, CEO of Food Allergy Research and Education.
In a statement, NYU Langone said, “We are saddened by her passing and our deepest condolences are with her family.”
CBS New York reached out to Disney for a response, but did not immediately hear back.
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A food company known for popular grocery store condiments has recalled a package of tortilla strips that may be contaminated with wheat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The product is meant to be gluten-free.
Sugar Foods, a manufacturing and distribution corporation focused mainly on various toppings, artificial sweeteners and snacks, issued the recall for the “Santa Fe Style” version of tortilla strips sold by the brand Fresh Gourmet.
“People who have a wheat allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product,” said Sugar Foods in an announcement posted by the FDA.
Packages of these tortilla strips with an expiration date as late as June 20, 2025, could contain undeclared wheat, meaning the allergen is not listed as an ingredient on the label. The Fresh Gourmet product is marketed as gluten-free.
Sugar Foods said a customer informed the company on Nov. 19 that packages of the tortilla strips actually contained crispy onions, another Fresh Gourmet product normally sold in a similar container. The brand’s crispy onion product does contain wheat, and that allergen is noted on the label.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
No illnesses tied to the packaging mistake have been reported, according to the announcement from Sugar Foods. However, the company is still recalling the tortilla strips as a precaution. The contamination issue may have affected products distributed between Sept. 30 and Nov. 11 in 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Sugar Foods has advised anyone with questions about the recall to contact the company’s consumer care department by email or phone.
CBS News reached out to Sugar Foods for more information but did not receive an immediate reply.
This is the latest in a series of food product recalls affected because of contamination issues, although the others involved harmful bacteria. Some recent, high-profile incidents include an E. coli outbreak from organic carrots that killed at least one person in California, and a listeria outbreak that left an infant dead in California and nine people hospitalized across four different states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The E. coli outbreak is linked to multiple different food brands while the listeria outbreak stemmed from a line of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products sold by Yu-Shang Foods.