A recent LinkedIn post about a new flavour of potato crisps containing pink peppercorns sparked significant public reaction, shedding light on how many people are unaware of the risks associated with cross-reactivity between allergenic foods. Who would expect that eating just a few crisps could lead to a scratchy throat, tingling lips, and the need for an EpiPen?
While you an allergy person may know they have an allergy to tree nuts like cashews, pink peppercorns probably wouldn’t be on their radar.
Surprisingly pink peppercorns belong to the same botanical family as cashews and pistachios, which means they can trigger similar allergic reactions. However, since pink peppercorns are not classified as tree nuts, they aren’t always listed as allergens on food packaging, posing a hidden risk for those with nut allergies.