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Home » Non Sequitur » My Rants & Recommendations » Hidden Allergens: Pink Peppercorns, Tree Nut Allergies and how an Amazon Reviewer Helped Solve a Mystery

Hidden Allergens: Pink Peppercorns, Tree Nut Allergies and how an Amazon Reviewer Helped Solve a Mystery

October 27th, 2019 | 466 Comments

Pink peppercorns seemed like an innocuous ingredient until they almost killed my daughter. I’m so thankful for an Amazon reviewer for solving the mystery for us.

EpiPen 2 pack Nut allergies pink peppercorns

Originally published February 20, 2014

The information about this hidden allergen is extremely important to share among the nut allergic community and I continually thank the Amazon reviewer who solved a mystery for us.

This post about pink peppercorns could very well save many lives; maybe even the life of someone you know.

nut allergy pink peppercorn
my daughter in 2001, a few months before her first anaphylactic reaction to tree nuts

My daughter has a severe tree nut allergy,* meaning if she ingests any form of tree nuts, she will stop breathing (anaphylaxis) and die. Even a trace could do the deed–it’s that severe.

Discovering that my daughter was allergic to tree nuts (she was 4)

We learned this the hard way when she was four years old. Denisa ate a chocolate Christmas ornament which was filled with a hazelnut paste. I cannot adequately describe to you what it feels like, and the terror that fills every part of your being when you hear your child barely choke out the words, “I can’t breathe”, and to see her gasping for air.

I immediately called 911, and she was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. This was my family’s very first experience with any sort of allergy, and it was life-changing for all of us. Nuts were now a dreaded, dangerous and life-threatening food.

no nuts hazelnuts nut allergy pink peppercorns

The incident at the restaurant

Fast forward 10 years: on the 4th of July, my daughter was at a restaurant at Disneyland with one of her best friends when I received a phone call from her friend’s mother. She told me that she thought my daughter had ingested some form of tree nuts, and was wondering whether to use the EpiPen (a shot of epinephrine) for her anaphylactic reaction.

Of course, I was petrified, and told her that my daughter had to be the one to make that decision. 

Luckily, she ended up getting the nuts out of her system and the use of the EpiPen was averted. I’ve since read several news reports that prove that this doesn’t always happen. Sometimes there’s a death, instead of a happy ending. My daughter was incredibly fortunate.

PRINT THIS FOR TRAVELING WITH NUT ALLERGIES!

I am allergic to tree nuts 50 languages

A mystery

At this point, the biggest problem was that the chef was baffled as to how this occurred, as he was certain that the Tortellini Alfredo and focaccia were nut-free. It was the only incident in which we had no idea what had caused her reaction. I spoke to the chef the next day, but there was still no luck in deducing what had instigated her anaphylaxis, so we were left with a mystery.

Mystery solved!

About two weeks after this incident, I was browsing peppercorns and pepper blends on Amazon.com, when I clicked on a Four Seasons Pepper Blend, which included pink peppercorns, or pepper berries. The first review caught my eye:

nut allergy pink peppercorn

I couldn’t believe what I was reading, and wondered if the chef might have used this pepper blend in the pasta or focaccia that my daughter had eaten. I quickly did some research, and confirmed what the reviewer had posted. Pink peppercorns were in fact related to cashews!

Immediately, I called the restaurant, and began to ask the chef if he used this pepper blend. I hadn’t even finished asking the question, when he exclaimed, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” What a relief to finally know what had caused her reaction.

It’s disconcerting to think that we actually had a pepperberry tree in the backyard of our previous house, and I used to cut the berries and use them for various crafts. This is what the berries look like.

pink peppercorns related cashews tree nut allergy

From Wikipedia:

Peruvian pepper (Schinus molle, also known as American pepper, Peruvian peppertree, escobilla, false pepper, molle del Peru, pepper tree, peppercorn tree, Californian pepper tree, pirul and Peruvian mastic.) is an evergreen tree that grows to 15 meters (50 feet). It is native to rhe Peruvian Andes. The bright pink fruits of Schinus molle are often sold as “pink peppercorns” although S. molle is unrelated to true pepper.

This information needs to be spread as widely as possible:

Pink peppercorns, pink pepperberries, pink berries, Peruvian pepper and whatever else they may be called, are related to CASHEWS and can cause an anaphylactic reaction in those who are allergic to CASHEWS/TREE NUTS. 

Here’s what you can do to help spread the word:

  • Forward this information to anyone you know who has a nut allergy. I have contacted Penzey’s Spices (who have still done nothing to label the warning 5 years later!) and other spice retailers to ask them to place this warning on their labels. If you can do the same thing, changes will happen more quickly, and hopefully avert potentially life-threatening allergic reactions in future (see update below: great news!)
  • If you or your child has a nut allergy, make sure to ask at restaurants, at friends’ homes, and wherever your food is prepared if a pepper blend including pink pepper berries has been used. Inform them that the berries are related to tree nuts.
  • Contact newspapers, local TV news, etc. to feature articles or segments on this information.
  • Spread the info via social media; ask others to share, re-tweet, re-pin, etc.
  • Translate the info into other languages, and share outside our borders.
  • Pass on the information by word of mouth; you never know whose life you might save.

PLEASE click here to CHECK OUT THIS POST AS I HAVE DISCOVERED MORE HIDDEN ALLERGENS!

Honey Walnut Baklava
FOOD CAN KILL

My concerns and some points to remember ~

* Many people throw the word “allergy” around loosely. Please be aware of how important it is that this term is used correctly.

It terrifies me that the server who is used to hearing guests order something “on-the-side” due to an “allergy”, notices they ate it anyway. Consequently, they won’t take allergies seriously anymore. Food Babe, who has hundreds and thousands of followers and has written books on the subject of food choices, advises her readers, “Go as far as telling the server you allergic to butter and dairy, soy and corn.”

I, and many others have commented on her post to tell her how this is endangering those who have LIFE-THREATENING allergies which occur within seconds. However, she refuses to remove this wording in her post. In fact, she banned me from her Facebook page when I wrote to tell her the consequences from her advice.

Many people don’t realize that simply touching nuts, and then touching other food is enough to cause anaphylaxis in some allergy sufferers, my daughter included. However, there are others whose allergies are even worse than hers. Think about the nuts being consumed in planes; it’s frightening.

UPDATED 10/19: I flew Norwegian airlines for the first time in June and was horrified at the filthy condition of the floor, including peanuts! I gave them another try this past week and guess what? The same conditions! Do they never clean their planes? This is unacceptable, especially for nut allergy sufferers!

norwegian-planes-dirty
I sent them the first photo on social media: no response.


Similarly, there is no barometer to measure or communicate how serious an allergy is. It’s completely open to interpretation. These things directly impact my daughter’s life and so many others’, too. 

Finally, please be mindful of the impact that use of the word “allergy” can have.

UPDATE: my daughter attended Villanova University which has a “no nut” policy, which we didn’t discover until after we placed our deposit! I was elated. If you are concerned about your child going off to university with a nut allergy, besides being a top university, Villanova takes allergies extremely seriously. She graduated without an incident at the dining halls and restaurants.

daughter Denisa Villanova university
 
To all my loyal readers, thank you for allowing me to get “off-track” and get on my soapbox to spread the word about this berry. And to Kevin, the wonderful Amazon reviewer, I thank you and am so appreciative that you took the time to leave such an incredibly helpful review! A little information can go a long way, and hopefully this will.

 

 

pink peppercorns

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My Rants & Recommendations, Uncategorized · Food Allergies

Reader Interactions

466 Responses

  1. Debra Hurst says:
    December 2, 2020 at 1:54 am

    Thank you so much Christina,
    My granddaughter aged 7 has just been diagnosed with a cashew nut allergy. Thier should be mandatory informative training for anyone serving or selling food how dangerous nut allergies can be . Today we are finding out as much as we can about nut allergies and iv just come across your blog and info about pink peppercorns. Thank you so much for putting all of this online and sharing it whenever you can. This information is so important it being a danger to life.
    Myself and my family will be sharing this wherever we can online also through friends and family.
    Once again thank you so much
    Debbie

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      December 2, 2020 at 8:19 am

      Hi Debra, I am incredibly sorry to hear about your granddaughter’s allergy. Nut allergies are so serious, and I totally agree that food vendors and chefs should know all there is to know about food allergies. It’s a matter of life and death. I get so upset when I hear people throwing the term ‘allergic’ around when they don’t like something or have a little reaction :(

      I’m glad you’ll be sharing as it’s so important. I hope she is careful and takes her allergy seriously, but stays safe with no incidences. Best of luck,

      Christina

      Reply
  2. Another Tree Nut Allergy/Allergen Alert for Sumac, Argan, Shea Butter and Mango - Christina's Cucina says:
    May 26, 2020 at 2:33 pm

    […] will find that post here. However, I can tell you that the offending allergen was the pink peppercorns (which are […]

    Reply
  3. Roze peper? Oppassen als je allergisch bent voor noten - Voordeelkruiden says:
    December 15, 2019 at 9:50 am

    […] meisje in gevaar bracht Blogster Cristina heeft een dochter met een ernstige notenallergie. Ze schrijft op haar blog Cristinascucina hoe haar dochter in Disneyland een allergische reactie kreeg terwijl ze een notenvrij gerecht had […]

    Reply
  4. Peggy Woods says:
    November 13, 2019 at 2:26 pm

    I had no idea that pink peppercorns were related to the cashew family of nuts. I will do my part to spread the word. Thanks for this information.

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      November 13, 2019 at 4:33 pm

      Please do! Thank you so much, Peggy!

      Reply
  5. Linda says:
    November 8, 2019 at 3:13 pm

    As someone with multiple allergies – not just food allergies I am very appreciative when I come across articles like this which expand my knowledge of “hidden” allergens. I have discovered that dried and ground mushroom is often listed as “other natural ingredients” if is makes up a minimal portion of the ingredients. Mushroom provides the depth of flavor and umami so many chefs desire. Even that miniscule amount can trigger a severe reaction. I carry multiple Epipens on me whenever I am eating out and always notify my server about the allergy. Even in restaurants I have eaten at before without a problem. Suppliers change ingredients all the time without notice. If a server or manager or chef do not take the allergy seriously, I leave.

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      November 8, 2019 at 3:16 pm

      Oh that’s terrible, Linda! I can’t believe they don’t have to list mushroom if it’s in the product, no matter how miniscule the amount! I’m so sorry you have to deal with that and anyone who doesn’t take your allergies seriously. I really rant about those people who are making it more difficult for you by claiming to have an allergy when they don’t. Best of luck in avoiding your allergens.

      Reply
      • Linda says:
        November 11, 2019 at 9:19 pm

        I believe the threshold is 2% for lusting individual ingredients. A paramedic informed me after he had researched ingredients that may have caused his sons’ reaction. Many companies consider this proprietary information and won’t confirm the other natural ingredients. The only good to have come out of this is my girls have been servers and take customers seriously when they state they have an allergy.

        Reply
        • Christina says:
          November 11, 2019 at 9:35 pm

          Good to know, Linda. Thank you and that’s wonderful about your girls. Thank you!

          Reply
  6. Charlie says:
    October 29, 2019 at 7:58 am

    Thank you Christina !

    My daughter has a coconut allergy. She has to be careful of tree nuts because of it.
    I will tell her about the pink peppercorns.

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      October 29, 2019 at 8:59 am

      Wow, I’ve never heard of that, but often wondered why my daughter isn’t allergic to coconuts since it’s a tree nut. Glad you saw this info. CC

      Reply
  7. Jill Colonna says:
    October 29, 2019 at 6:32 am

    I’m sharing this again, Christina – an essential read for everyone! Thanks for this info.

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      October 29, 2019 at 6:34 am

      THank YOU, Jill for helping to spread the word. So important!

      Reply
« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. Another Tree Nut Allergy/Allergen Alert for Sumac, Argan, Shea Butter and Mango - Christina's Cucina says:
    May 26, 2020 at 2:33 pm

    […] will find that post here. However, I can tell you that the offending allergen was the pink peppercorns (which are […]

    Reply
  2. Roze peper? Oppassen als je allergisch bent voor noten - Voordeelkruiden says:
    December 15, 2019 at 9:50 am

    […] meisje in gevaar bracht Blogster Cristina heeft een dochter met een ernstige notenallergie. Ze schrijft op haar blog Cristinascucina hoe haar dochter in Disneyland een allergische reactie kreeg terwijl ze een notenvrij gerecht had […]

    Reply

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Meet Christina

A Scottish Italian cook living in Los Angeles, Christina is usually cooking, baking or (cr)eating something scrumptious. When she isn't in the kitchen, she loves to travel, near and far, as long as good food is involved. Christina is on a mission to save authentic Italian dishes from extinction, and is constantly promoting Scottish (and British) food as some of the best cuisine the world has to offer—one steak pie and sticky toffee pudding at a time.



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