Hidden Allergens: Pink Peppercorns, Tree Nut Allergies and how an Amazon Reviewer Helped Solve a Mystery
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.
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.
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.
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!
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:
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.
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!
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!
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.
pink peppercorns
Christina, i am so glad that you shared this and that our comments helped you learn about anaphylaxis management. If there is one thing I have learned with my ana son: dont fear the epi! It may spike your blood pressure but it is vital to use it in a systemic reaction (more than one bodily reaction). I hope you find a personable and educational allergist. Best of luck!
Thank you, Laurie! I actually have an appointment for my daughter to see an allergist tomorrow! I wrote this post to help others and you have all helped me in return! Thank you so much!! CC
I have a severe nut allergy and carry an epi pen…this is great info. Nuts are disguised in many dishes I average about 1 a year.
SO glad you saw this information, Kristi!! CC
This is so useful to know. My daughter is allergic to many things from being tested after and egg reacton. Honestly we don’t know how severe or not she is to tree nuts, so I’m constantly on guard for the worst. It’s crazy how much trust we must have in the food manufacturers, I’m glad it worked out well for you and your daughter and that it’s now labelled. On a side note, there is an allergist here in my state of CT that is working to desensitize patients of severe allergies like nuts. I don’t think they can eat them like normal, but it greatly lessens the effect. It might be something to look into near you. After our daughters 3year allergy test we plan on looking into it for her.
Thank you, Amber. It is extremely something to raise anxiety whether you do or don’t know how allergic your child is, because either way, you never know the outcome. Thanks for the info on the doctor, do you know his/her name? CC
I’m so sorry, I never saw your response on this. this is the website for the allergist http://nefoodallergy.org/
It’s led by Dr. Factor, he is the Division Head, Allergy and Immunology, at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and Director of its Food Allergy Clinic. My daugther turned 4 in October, so we’re upping our insurance coverage and starting there after the new year. I am soo excited. I hope you can find something closer to you. I know there are a bunch of doctors starting this around the country. Currently it’s considered a clinical trial I believe.
I feel like you have saved my son’s life by posting this- my son has a class 6 (highest life threatening ranking on IGE level) to cashews, peanuts and pistacios. I have a blended pepper mill with pink peppercorns in it and sometimes use that in soups, (never do I use pepper on his food otherwise). I never can pin point why when he ate soup that he gets sick…I am now dumping all the peppercorns in the garbage and buying only black. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
I am SO happy that you came across my post, Andrea!! That is so scary that you have been using the pink pepper blend in your son’s food! You are so incredibly welcome…and thank you for letting me know, as this was my main goal: to reach those who have nut allergies. Good luck and I wish your son a reaction free future!! CC
Thank you for this info. I passed it along to 4 different freinds who each have a child with severe nut allergies among other allergies.
So glad you found this information to pass on to your friends! Thank you so much, Drea!! CC
Sadly, if you tell someone your kid has a sensitivity to something they figure that you are ridiculous and see no reason that they should help your kid avoid that item wherever possible. However, if you say that he has an allergy they will do everything possible to avoid it. Due to this my doctor put on my son’s medical forms for BSA that he’s allergic to the things that he just has a sensitivity to, in order to make sure he gets as little exposure to them as possible. He can have them, and as such does get them at times, just not all the time and in high doses.
You are correct, Skie, however here’s another point: if your son is sensitive now, there is no telling when that sensitivity could increase to an allergy. I think it is in everyone’s best interest (but especially your son’s) that he avoid the food/allergen completely. My mother was never allergic to any mushrooms, but one day she ate chanterelles and got violently ill. The doctor told her she’d probably become allergic to them and to avoid them in future. Apparently, she “checked” once more after that incident and almost died (this was many years ago and with virtually no information about how serious allergies can be).
Better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to your child. Thanks for your comment, CC
Heya, great post, and I had no idea about that pepper blend, we’ll be sharing this info on FB amongst my friends. I have some “significant” allergies to moldy/blue cheeses and jalapenos/chipotle peppers (though other peppers seem fine, I just stay away from hot peppers in general, and it’s amazing how many people even in restaurants do NOT know that chipotles are just smoked jalapenos… and it’s everywhere.
Anyway, when I’m in a place and I’m talking to the waitstaff about my order and my allergies, if I suspect they’re not taking me seriously (Protip to a server: if someone tells you they have a serious allergy, WRITE IT DOWN. It makes us feel better) about it, I pull out my epipen and set it on the table in front of them. No big showy deal, no speech, but I do tap it on the table once or twice gently until they either glance at it or make eye contact with me.
I’ve never had an issue from the kitchen when I’ve done that.
Hi Nickie, I like your idea of having the epipen on the table!! Way to make them understand the seriousness of the issue!! Thank you so much, and good luck in all your future restaurant outings :) CC
Thanks so much for posting this. I’ve had severe nut and legume allergies all my life, and I grew up before there was consistent, specific ingredient labeling on foods. Every meal was Russian Roulette, and I’d made more than 20 emergency room visits with anaphylaxis by the time I graduated from college. I never thought I’d make it past 24. I’m now 50–26 years of borrowed time so far! : )
I’m a professional storyteller and am working on a story about my peanut allergy that I hope will raise awareness and give scared parents hope. I have reposted your article. Thanks again.
Wow, Darci! That’s a lot of ER visits!! I’m glad you are still with us and so happy to hear you are writing to raise awareness on allergies. Every little bit helps! Thank you for sharing the info! CC