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
Thank you for these very important info to know, share and comment on. My daughter shared this on Facebook and I am willing to do so and posted on my website also. It is very serious issue when it comes to allergies specially from nuts. I have a Mediterranean bakery in which I use many kinds of nuts and I think such articles are a must to know for all people. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Amal! That is great that you are sharing the info and so glad you are well-informed, having a Mediterranean style bakery. I really appreciate your comment! CC
I’m sorry but have you talked to Dr’s about this? It seems like an exceedingly RARE condition to cross react to pink peppercorns. I have seen this blow up and am kind of hoping someone will speak to a Dr. about this before continuing to spread this. This does not seem to be common but you have blown it up and it’s everywhere now and last i checked someone posting on Amazon isn’t an authority.
Even if it is rare, it’s better to be informed, Stephanie. If you read through these comments, there is a published case on a woman reacting to them, and many other commenters stating they or their children also reacted to pink peppercorns. I think it would do everyone a disservice to sweep this incident under the rug, and not share the information. What harm will be done by sharing that pink peppercorns are a hazard to nut allergy sufferers? Also, because someone is not an authority on a subject, it does not preclude them from being correct.
Thank you for this information. I am allergic to tree nuts, and while I have never had a reaction as severe as your daughter’s it is still not comfortable for me when I have a reaction. It is always good to have more information. Thank you again.
I’m glad your allergy isn’t as bad as my daughter’s, Faith, but you are correct, it’s always better to have more information. Thank you so much, CC
I have a nut allergy. I’m a weirdo when it comes to them too – can eat peanuts & almonds, just not the rest. Used to eat Pistaschio pudding, but haven’t for years since my SIL accidentally fed me grated Brazil nuts on a salad – it was one that had almonds normally and I didn’t even think about the fact that she would have changed that on me. That reaction was the worst one I’ve ever had. Hives, trouble breathing etc. Even spent the night in the hospital. And now have an Epi-Pen. That my mother can’t, for the life of her, understand why I won’t wear on a chain around my neck.
I finally got allergy tested two years ago, and feel so much better for knowing. I was told to avoid almonds as well, as I did slightly react to them. I have cut back considerably on my consumption of them, but they just are so yummy! I hate being the one who has to avoid all carrot cake but my own, but it’s a fact of my life. It’s okay…we as society just have to learn that when someone declines something, they might not be doing it because they are on a crazy diet – they could die. That’s the hard part, when people who are on a diet make a bigger deal about avoiding something than a person who is actually, truly allergic to it.
I’m glad your daughter handles her allergy well. It makes life so much better for her and the rest of your family. Kudos to you!
Thank you so much, Jennifer! It’s comments like yours that have made me realize that I should have had my daughter see an allergist years ago! Would you believe I now have an appointment for her to see one tomorrow. I hope she will also feel better after being tested and having a better plan in case of an emergency.
By the way, I know you have to avoid carrot cake if you are somewhere like a restaurant and it has nuts in it, but don’t torture yourself completely! Here’s a great recipe I make and my daughter loves it! :) https://christinascucina.com/2013/04/moist-pineapple-carrot-cake-with-cream.html I also have a Pumpkin Carrot Cupcake recipe on my blog. Thanks again, good luck and stay nut-free! CC
Thanks Christina for your advocacy, and I’m happy this incident ended well for your daughter.
I’d like to comment about epinephrine use. You say “my daughter had to be the one to make that decision based on how serious the reaction felt, and luckily she ended up getting the nuts out of her system and the use of the EpiPen was averted.”
My understanding, based on various credible sources including our excellent allergist, is that there is virtually no reason not to inject epinephrine if it’s known that the allergen was consumed. There is very little or no risk to having epinephrine in the body when there is no allergen present but there is quite substantial risk of not having epinephrine when the allergen is present.
One supporting source is allergyhome.org (in part the work of respected allergist Dr Michael Pistiner): “Epinephrine works the best when given early. It can be dangerous to wait to give epinephrine.” See here: http://www.allergyhome.org/handbook/table-of-contents/recognize-and-treat-allergic-reactions/being-prepared/if-theres-an-emergency/
Your thoughts?
Kurt, my thoughts exactly. Both of my kids have severe allergies to multiple foods, including tree nuts. Our allergist’s have all said… “When in doubt, ADMINISTER THE EPI.” It can’t hurt them, but if they are having anaphylaxis, the epi will be the only thing that saves their life. When my kids are at playdates or at school, we say the same thing… if they are displaying signs of a serious reaction, give them the epi.
As for the rest of the article I thought it was very informative and I will now be on the lookout for this type of allergen. Thank you Christina.
Thanks, Corinne. You’ll see from my response to Kurt, that I have made an appointment for my daughter to see an allergist, however, I do believe that saying, “administering the EPI can’t hurt” is incorrect. I have read about several incidences when there was a negative reaction to the Epipen. Some commenters have also mentioned this on this post, but I do think that the risk is probably worth it as I don’t think this is as common as the Epipen doing it’s job. I’m glad you got the information on the pepper berries, and thank you for your comment; I know I will feel better after taking my daughter to an allergist. CC
Hi Kurt, here’s our biggest problem: my daughter has never been to an allergist. Her pediatrician gave instructions on what to do, with a prescription for an inhaler, Benadryl and the Epipen, but never referred her to an allergist, and it is only from all your comments here that I now realize how ridiculous that is. I actually have her scheduled to see one tomorrow, so everything that we’ve done up until now has been following the advice of a doctor, but not a specialist. Thank you for your comment, and I hope to have a clearer “plan of attack” for my daughter, especially before she goes off to college next year. CC
Thank you. I have a tree nut allergy and didnt know this!
PS- I’m also allergic to latex and I found out the hard way that bananas are a cousin to the latex tree. I had an anaphylactic reaction after eating a banana and had an ambulance ride to the hosp.- it was scary.
Thank you, Michelle~I’m so glad you found this post. Another commenter talked about her latex allergy and suggested by daughter avoid it and I think it’s a great idea, given the relationship with nut allergies. Glad you were okay after your banana incident, but so sad that it’s yet another allergy to deal with. Thanks again and good luck to you! CC
My daughter as well is allergic to cashew mostly/treenuts. Thank you so much for sharing this. Had no idea.
Very happy to know that you got this information, Shanna! Good luck to you and your daughter! CC