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Jax Allergy

Have Tree Nut Food Allergy? Beware of “Pink Peppercorns”

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Pink Peppercorns. Photo from Target.com

If you or a loved one has a tree nut food  allergy, please be sure to read the following blog post by a mom who found out the hard way that pink peppercorns in gourmet  pepper medleys are actually related to tree nuts.  http://christinascucina.com/2014/02/hidden-allergens-pink-peppercorns-tree.html

We have verified the information in her blog and indeed pink peppercorns are NOT true peppercorns.  The scientific name is S. terebinthifolius and these berries belong to the family Anacardiaceae, which include plants in the genus Anacardium (cashew nut) and Pistacia (pistachio). There is potential for cross-reactivity among different members of the Anacardiaceae family.

A medical case report about this very topic was published in the World Allergy Journal here.