Why do bags of M&Ms (plain and peanut alike) have the warning “M&Ms may contain peanuts”? It seems that any literate person should know that peanut M&Ms contain peanuts. And why do they put this warning on plain M&Ms?
Life is a tragedy for those who feel and a comedy for those who think.
It appears a sizeable proportion of the public is deathly allergic to peanuts and peanut by products. Some schools are even toying with the idea of banning peanut butter sandwiches from their cafeterias. So if you pick up a packet of peanut M&Ms and are allergic, they can’t say they didn’t warn you. As for the plain M&Ms warning, maybe both kinds are made at the same plant and a peanut candy could accidentally get mixed in with the plain.
Allergies: there are people who are sufficiently allergic to peanuts to go into shock if they accidentally ingest peanut-based foods. As for why plain M&Ms bear the warning, two WAGs:
My brother had a friend who was allergic to peanuts. She went to a restaurant with her friends and had a piece of pie or something, and ended up dying because that dessert had a trace of peanuts in it. Manufacturers should be more careful about cleaning their equipment thoroughly.
Could be a warning for those with allergic reactions to peanuts, or–THOSE AREN’T REALLY PEANUTS IN THOSE M&Ms!!!
In either case, somebody is getting a raw deal…
“It’s only common sense,
There are no accidents 'round here.”
Or it could mean that Charles Schultz arranged for Charlie Brown and friends to have a little “industrial accident” at the M&M Mars plant after they stopped being useful to him…
“It’s only common sense,
There are no accidents 'round here.”
I have found the occassional peanut in bags of plain and almond M&Ms. Not very often, but it has happened. The warning is also on the bags of almond M&Ms.
I have also noticed that on the window of Dairy Queen stores there is a sign that states “Peanuts are used in this store and it is possible that they may come in contact with your food.” I’m guessing this has to do with being allergic to peanuts also.
“The idea of a walk-in closet sounds frightening. If I’m ever sittin’ at home and a closet walks in, I’m gettin’ outta there.” ~George Carlin
From what I understand, similar machines and containers are used to make both the peanut and plain M&Ms. Thus, trace elements of peanut oil may be present.
In addition, the shell itself is made with a peanut oil. I’ve heard of a child going into anaphylactic shock from eating a cookie with plain M&Ms in them because of such a sensitive peanut oil allergy.
You see the same warning on other candy bars/chocolate candies as well. Like, uh, Snickers. (“It may contain peanuts? I never knew that…”)
Teaching: The ultimate birth control method.
Peanut-allergic individuals can have life threatening reactions (asthma & shock) from minute amounts of peanut proteins (found in peanut oil).
The FAA at one point was going to mandate peanut-free flights if a peanut-allergic individual requested it.
Most places that cook ANYTHING with peanuts label everything they make as possibly having peanuts just in case a mistake happens. Which kind of defeats the purpose of labelling if you’re a peanut-allergic person trying to eat anything.
Sue from El Paso
Siamese Attack Puppet - Texas
Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.
I don’t understand why peanut allergies are so deadly when most other common food allergies are not. Youngest Son is allergic to strawberries, almonds, and eggs, and on the occasions when he has had these things he breaks out into nasty hives. Once, with strawberry juice mistakenly drunk at someone’s house, he did swell up and have some problems breathing, and went to the doctor’s for a shot, and then he was fine.
So, WHY are peanuts so very deadly, even in such small doses, to those with an allergy?
-Melin
Siamese attack puppet – California
Still neglecting and overprotecting my children
Melin,
They’re not.
The CDC reported 88 cases of fatalities resulting from all food allergies combined during the period between 1979-1995. An inconsequential number. They also estimate the population that suffers from penut allergies at 0.07%. I have no idea how to figure out how many deaths were from peauts using that data but I would hazard a guess of 1 or 2.
Where all this anti-peanut hysteria is coming from, I haven’t a clue. Probably some type of save the children response.
Any bets that Ray has a different take on the cause?
When I fly commercially, I usually fly United. I can’t remember the last time I got a bag of peanuts. Now all I get is a bag of aweful pretzels. Bring back the peanuts! I promise I won’t die.
I think the reason such a fuss is made over peannut allergies is not because they’re so deadly (although sometimes they are), but because peanuts are so ubiquitous in modern foods.
For instance, there’s pretty much no chance that you’ll find trace amounts of strawberries in plain M&Ms, but there’s a good chance of peanuts being in there. Peanut oil is also commonly used - it’s relatively cheap, I think. So you can end up eating peanuts without realizing it.
The other foods Melin listed are, imo, easier to avoid (although things happen, as she points out).
Yeah, it’s getting rough on the peanut-eaters, now that most offices have cracked down on peanut-eating indoors.
You’re seeing them all the time now in midtown Mahattan, taking a quick break from work to grab a few dry-roasteds, huddled in the high winds and drizzle downstairs and outside the vestibule, little knots of people clutching their sacks of non-salted Spanish.
Uke
Ok, ok, I’m one of those deathly ill allergy people. Let me give you my $0.02.
I have several allergies, my worst one being nuts. (I can eat peanuts, however, as they are legumes)
If I eat eggs, I get hives, stuffy nose, etc. But if I eat pecans, pistachios, walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, etc., my throat closes almost instantly.
There have been several instances where I have had to be hospitalized. The sensation is like this:
First, I notice a numbness and tingling in the back of my throat. I start to cough and bring up phlegm and get a sick, hollow feeling in my stomach. Within a minute, my throat is swelling and I’m making choking sounds. I vomit uncontrollably and break out in hives. In other words, it’s pretty hideous.
I think labeling food is sort of a pointless idea, because no matter what, people with deadly allergies have to take precautions. I’ve trained myself to read labels and inquire about ingredients in restaurants. When I’m not careful, I do things like eat a BBQ Chicken sandwich that (as I found out later) has ground pecans in the sauce.
“All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.” Stephen Wright
I agree. Are there any phenylketonurics out there who don’t check the ingredients for aspartame? Well, they’re not gonna see the other notice either! Sheesh, I don’t get it…
I have a two-part answer to your questions. First, other foods can be just as deadly as peanuts. Seafood is another one that will commonly cause an anaphylactic reaction. It is not uncommon for cow’s milk protein to cause anaphylaxis. Some people are so sensitive they don’t even have time to get their epi-pen out of their pocket or purse before their blood pressure drops, their throat completely closes and they die. I have an anaphylactic reaction to pork. I’ve always been able to take Benedryl before it got to the point of passing out, but every exposure I have gets worse. It could happen someday!
What’s so bad about peanuts? The proteins in peanuts are extremely hard to digest. The reason that peanut allergies are on the rise is believed to be that more women are consuming peanut products while pregnant and nursing. The proteins are passed intact through the placenta and the breastmilk. Young children do not yet have a mature enough digestive system to process the protein and it is passed whole through the small intestine where the body might decide it doesn’t belong there and try to rid it by causing an allergic reaction. The latest in the food allergy world is that all pregnant and nursing mothers should avoid peanut products and the child should not be introduced to peanut products until at least 3 years old when the gut is assumed to be more mature.
You should be careful with your son. His reactions could become more severe with repeated exposures.
The rate of peanut allergies is on the rise even among those with a low-risk of developing food allergies. These reactions to peanuts are often severe. Sometimes being at life-threatening levels the first time a person reacts to it.
Yes, but there is that STUPID, idiotic thing that they are allowed to put on food labels called “natural flavorings”. There is also the risk of cross-contamination which would effect the people with the severest reactions worse than most food allergic people. But still when my little girl gets some cross-contamination of dairy from a poorly labeled food and all I can do is hold her while she doubles over from the pain, I sure wish the labeling was required to be more accurate. Thank goodness that companies like General Foods and Kellogg’s have started doing that “May contain” label and not limiting it to peanuts.