Natick Family Sues Panera Bread After Peanut Butter Served To Allergic Child

BOSTON (CBS) - A Natick couple is suing Panera Bread after they say their daughter, who's allergic to peanuts, was served a sandwich with a big scoop of peanut butter.

John Russo says it all began last January when the family made an online order for a grilled cheese from a Panera in Natick for their six year old daughter. He says she took a few bites and thought it tasted odd.

The family says they took a photo of the sandwich which appears to show peanut butter spread on top of the grilled cheese. They also say when they ordered the grilled cheese online they specified that the little girl had a peanut allergy. The online order included in court paperwork advised Panera that the little girl had a peanut allergy.

"She literally looked at my father-in-law, her grandfather and said 'Am I gonna die Grampa?'" said Russo. "And started going into a full blown panic"

They eventually took her to the hospital and were just about to release her when she started to have a reaction.

"She started breaking out in severe hives head to toe and they administered the EpiPen right away and then kept her for the rest of the night until the early morning under observation."

In a statement to WBZ a Panera spokesman says, "Panera takes the issue of food allergens, including the reported incident at our franchise bakery-cafe, very seriously. We have procedures in place across the company to minimize exposure and risk for our guests and associates."

But John Russo is still angry.

"It's not like a knife of peanut butter just brushed up against the sandwich you're talking spoonfuls of peanut butter hidden in the sandwich, did somebody do this, how could this have happened."

The family is now suing Panera seeking a half million dollars in damages.

"My daughter has gone from someone who was just totally carefree to someone who, she's just fearful," Russo said. "You know for the last few months it's just a huge change in her behavior."

Russo also says the Panera manager that night told him the mix-up may have been due to what she called a "translation issue" but the family still can't understand how such a thing can happen.