To think that supermarkets could spare a thought for those with peppers allergies?

[londonmummy1966]

Ok so I know this is a first world problem but..

All my family are away for a few days so I thought I'd have an evening slobbing out in front of a box set and eating a ready meal. I fancied something light as it is hot here today - I wasn't fussed about what - vegetarian, fish or chicken. However, I am allergic to peppers - they make me violently sick. Every single one of the ready meals in my local, admittedly small, supermarket contained peppers other than a super stodgy Chinese breaded chicken in sickly sweet lemon sauce and containing a million calories.

Everywhere I look these days peppers appear to be ubiquitous and yet I know that lots of people have this allergy. AIBU to think supermarkets etc ought to be a bit more aware of it?

Good to hear from other pepper sufferers out there. So many people think you are just being fussy and saying you are allergic when really you just dislike them. Over the last 10 years they just seem to have taken over everything I might otherwise want to eat. Just as well I'm not a vegetarian.

Not peppers (or a true allergy) for me but strawberries make me sick and mangoes have a very unfortunate effect on the other end - you'd be amazed at what they are hidden in! I have to read the labels of anything ready made, even if logically it shouldn't contain either.

you have any food allergy, you need to cook from scratch. I am not being judgmental, just realistic. You cannot trust ready meals

This ! Ready meals are shit anyway

Problem is these days there people allergic/bad reactions to everything. Previously when the height of ready meals was some boil in the bag curry type thing it didnt matter but we have moved on. Consumers want taste and a range of ingredient so thats what we get. However, the continual rise of food allergies and bad reactions do make me wonder if, eventually, supermarkets go "fuck it" and move back to the bland-in-a-bag where flavour comes a distant second to a basic purity of a single ingredient.

My mum can't have garlic,
It makes eating out ridiculously difficult. As so many restaurants etc use garlic in most of their dishes..

YABU.
I say this as someone allergic to eggs and milk and have to scour the ingredients of every bloody sandwich and ready meal going.
(Any idea how much eggs and milk is in everything? Even something as innocuous as crisps and wine!)
Supermarkets slather mayo on everything. One sandwich if you're lucky might not. The occasional ready meal you can have.
Read the labels. I'm sure peppers are much easier to avoid. Surely you can find ready meals such as stew and dumplings/Quorn lasagne etc if veggie/ chicken curry/bangers and mash/toad in the hole etc?
More than I can.
Just read the labels!

Another one who can't eat peppers or onion powder/reconstituted onion/raw onion same with spring onion and chives.

I don't have an allergy but I do seem to have an allium intolerance and have to do pretty much 90% of my cooking from scratch as everything contains onion/onion powder. It makes my stomach hurt and burns my throat.

This added to my food texture issues means I have to be very careful when eating out and am probably viewed and dismissed as 'fussy'.

UpinScots - I am no longer alone!!!

People do struggle with the concept that if they use fresh onion, fry to soften then bung in something so they are utterly thoroughly cooked I will be okay - anything else is 12-20 hours of just feeling SO ill!

OP you did not miss out! Ready meals are absolute dog shit. I don't understand why anyone buys and eats them. However YABU for not ordering a decent take away instead

@RandomMess

I could rant forever over the things I want to eat but can't because someone has decided to stick onion powder in it. I used to like McCains hash browns but one day I got a new bag, cooked a couple and took one bite, had to spit it out. Looked at the back and now they're potato and bloody onion powder. Mac n Cheese - nope,onion powder. Chicken soup - nope, onion powder.

I don't mind cooking from scratch, I really don't but sometimes it would be nice to grab a tin of soup and just heat it up. Or pick a nice looking ready meal and pop it in the microwave.

DS1 had proper allergies of milk eggs and soya. As he was weaned back to a fairly normal diet, DS2 began getting side effects from tomatoes. I found the tomatoes harder to adapt our diet to!

Label check. Label check. Label check.
(Naturally as DS2 began to tolerate tomatoes without ill effect, DS1 hit the usual childhood beige/ bland/ carbs phase. Sigh)

As long as they have them on the ingredients list so you can make an informed choice. I work for a large food retailer and can tell you statistically pepper allergies are not that common - however peppers fit in with most cuisine types, which is why you see them so often. My advice is to go to a larger supermarket and just shove some ready meals free of peppers in your freezer so you have them for a later date.

As long as they have them on the ingredients list so you can make an informed choice. I work for a large food retailer and can tell you statistically pepper allergies are not that common - however peppers fit in with most cuisine types, which is why you see them so often. My advice is to go to a larger supermarket and just shove some ready meals free of peppers in your freezer so you have them for a later date.

Sexykitten I do agree but as I probably cook from scratch 320 days of the year the idea of slobbing out on the sofa with a box set and a ready meal as I had no family around was just so appealing. Its quite difficult to order a takeaway as lots of Chinese/Indian/Thai/Mexican have peppers in and a pizza is rather a lot for one.

Box set salad and pink prosecco was nice though....

Onion powder is in sooooo much, most crisp flavourings for a start at least I can eat fresh onion properly cooked, better than not at all!.

I second garlic
Vom ! Vom ! Vom !

Unfortunately people can be allergic to anything, they can't avoid everything.
I do think peppers are in loads of things though! I hate them.
I can't have cloves, every single curry ready meal, they're in!
( i check all labels).

I can't do chilli in any format. There are instant effects. The amount of things chillies are in is huge.

YANBU - my mum is allergic to sweet and chilli peppers and it is a total pain. Much harder to avoid than gluten (unless all you want is a sandwich) or nuts. Dairy is similar in terms of difficulty.

We have a family allergy to peppers. Although it's a bad allergy as long as the peppers are removed then it's fine.

But don't usually have problems finding ready meals-there's always pizza, but there's potato skins, shepherds' pie, breaded mushrooms etc.

So many pre pack sandwiches have lettuce. It gives me crippling indigestion. I wish there were more alternatives without it (I know I can make my own but sometimes you want to grab something on the hoof).

Witchend that was what I thought but there was almost nothing in my local (admittedly small) supermarket yesterday. I normally do a shop at the big one further away but wasn't going to drive just for me. I was really surprised that the only thing for a single person was a cottage pie and it was too hot to eat that. Every single other individual ready meal had peppers in....
Barbarian I feel your pain. I can manage chilli in small quantities so it is only sweet peppers that are a problem but still a nuisance.

I'm annoyed that 99% of the ready made curries are chicken. Some prawn ones would be nice.