Allergic to peanuts? Then a vegan burger might kill you too...
Two-year-old Libby was unconscious – her lips red and swollen, face puffy, skin mottled, wheezing, with streaming eyes. Consultant allergy specialist Dr Elana Levine had seen the reaction many times before. Anaphylactic shock, an extreme allergic reaction – probably due to peanuts, she thought.
In these cases the airways swell dramatically, restricting breathing, and blood pressure plummets to dangerously low levels.
Dr Levine knew if she didn’t act fast the little girl would die. Roughly 20 people suffer fatal anaphylaxis across Ireland and the UK every year.
The doctor immediately administered a life-saving shot of the hormone noradrenaline.
But something seemed unusual. Not least that, as far as her distraught parents knew, Libby hadn’t consumed nuts. The reaction seemed to have resulted from a spoonful of apparently nut-free yogurt.
After carrying out further tests, Dr Levine, who is based at Humber River Hospital in Ontario, Canada, discovered the culprit was not nuts after all, but an ingredient Libby’s parents had never heard of: pea protein.
The powdered protein extract from yellow peas – which are grown for use by the food industry – is finding its way into an increasing number of ready-made foods.
Protein shakes and snack bars that claim to help muscles recover after exercise may contain it. More recently, brands have begun packing it into vegan meat-substitute products such as burgers and sausages, as the popularity for plant-based diets continues to climb.
Marks & Spencer lists pea protein as one of the main ingredients in its ‘plant-based’ Christmas stuffing sandwich, and dairy-free ice creams from Halo Top and Ben & Jerry’s also contain it.
And experts warn that a new, potentially deadly allergic reaction – linked to peanut allergy – has developed as a result. Peas, like peanuts, are legumes – and share some of the same proteins, hence the reason some of those allergic to peanuts are also sensitive to pea protein. Worryingly, according to EU food safety law, manufacturers do not have to flag-up pea as a potential allergen on product labels, making the hazard well and truly hidden.
And experts say this loophole could leave at least 5 pc of Irish children and 3 pc of Irish adults at serious risk…
FAKE MEATS BRIM WITH DANGER
IN the past couple of years, Dr Levine has seen at least five cases similar to Libby’s in her clinic alone.
‘In several, the reaction was severe,’ she says. ‘One ten-yearold with a history of food allergies was eating a home-made pizza thought to be free of all allergens, but within minutes had difficulty swallowing and her face was swollen.’ The ingredients listed vegan pepperoni – which contained pea protein.
The only way to confirm an allergy to it is to undergo skin prick tests. A specialist measures the body’s reaction when a tiny amount of a suspected allergen is injected into the top layer of the skin.
Roughly 1,200 children suffer from peanut allergies in Ireland, as well as thousands of adults. It is commonly known among peanut allergy sufferers that many of them – roughly a third – are also allergic to tree-nuts, such as walnuts and Brazil nuts. But five per cent of peanut allergy patients also react to other legumes, such as peas, meaning they could be at risk of pea protein allergy. The high quantity of pea protein in some products is a big problem
‘The issue is that pea protein is not just an additive, it is the main ingredient,’ says Dr Levine.
The higher the quantity, the higher the chance of a reaction. In vegan products that ‘copy’ meat, manufacturers need to use high levels of the protein to replicate the amount normally supplied by the animal.
PEAS NOT THE ONLY HAZARD
ALARMINGLY, allergy experts say pea protein isn’t the only hazard in some products with ‘healthy’ plant-based credentials.
‘Other hidden allergens include flavourings such as mustard and celery as well things that add texture, such as a type of flour made from legumes, called lupin, says Dr Isabel Skypala, a consultant allergy dietician at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London Allergic reactions to these are currently rare, but as more allergic people come into contact with them, cases are expected to rise.
So should peanut allergy patients avoid fake meat and plantbased snacks altogether?
Not necessarily, says Lynne Regent. ‘Not all products contain pea protein’ she says. ‘But if you have a peanut allergy, it’s very important to read the full list of ingredients to look out for it.’