Cod allergy mother cries foul as fish pie leaves her ill
A WOMAN who is allergic to cod complained after suffering a reaction when she ate a supermarket fish pie.
Michelle Patterson was taken to hospital with breathing difficulties after eating the Morrisons pie which was labelled as containing “whitefish” but did not specifically mention cod.
The 55-year-old mother of six believed she could have died had she not stopped eating the pie, and is calling on the supermarket to reconsider its labelling of the product.
Ms Patterson, who bought the pie in West Yorkshire this month, said: “I was lucky I stopped eating it after just four mouthfuls.
“I first realised I was allergic to cod when I was 11 years old, and was ill for three days. I have never eaten it or had an allergic reaction in all these years, and I love seafood more than anything.
“I have always been very careful. The product did not say anything about cod. It did say the words ‘whitefish’ but if you can put haddock on the label, why can’t they say cod as well.”
The ingredients listed were “salmon, haddock, smoked fish and whitefish”. Ms Patterson, who runs a business buying and selling secondhand goods, believed the white fish in this type of food was usually from pollock and hake. She had to spend a night in hospital.
A Morrisons spokesman said: “We are sorry to hear about Ms Patterson’s allergic reaction. Cod is a whitefish, and the label clearly states that the fish pie includes whitefish.”