To ask you ‘what the *** you think I ate?’

[AandEembarrassment]

NC as very specific!!

Bought a prepacked sandwich on way home. First bite was super super salty, so thought may be there was a pocket of salt. Second bite the same but then my mouth started burning. That lasted for 20 minutes. Only had those two bites. No chilli or rocket etc in it, no chilli used by company. Chemical taste. Mouth now left with that post emulsifier taste (two hours on) but no burning.

I phoned 111 and they sent me to A&E. vitals all fine at triage so home now as nothing they can do and I’m not experiencing any symptoms. Thank goodness - didn’t fancy staying in hospital with ‘sandwich mouth’ - most embarrassing when there are people with actual problems!

But what are your best guesses about what it was? I eat black pepper, rocket and chilli and it was none of those. Tasted like a chemical rather than food. Anyone have experience of making pre-packaged sandwiches and what can go wrong please?

Never eating there again!!

‘While not an allergy, some people can have a reaction to pine nutsTrusted Source that leaves a bitter or metallic taste in the mouth that usually appears 1 to 3 days after ingesting the nuts, and can last for several weeks.
Scientists aren’t exactly sure why this happens, but they suspect it may have something to do with a contaminant, such as any of the chemicals used in the shelling process, a genetic predisposition, or the nut’s oil becoming rancid’.

just found this online OP. Also said the taste is sometimes described as ‘salty’ too

This happened to me once with a dessert. Horrible strong chemical taste that felt like it was fizzing and burning. I thought it was bleach. All OK at a&e.

What was left of the food was sent for testing. Turned out that it was a very very concentrated dose of flavouring that was supposed to be mixed into a batch of however many hundred desserts, but somehow hadn't mixed, and I got it in one mouthful. Scary and unpleasant.

Definitely contact them and get the rest tested.

Could it have been some sort of pesticide on one of the salad ingredients?

A guy I work with once bit down on the sterilising pill that they use to wash the salad. It’s supposed to dissolve. Could it have been that? Salty/bleachy/burny?

Pret does an avo, parm and cucumber wrap. Was it from there?

I’ve tasted washing powder loads of times. Accidentally, like. 👀

I have a promising lead, perhaps it was caustic soda?

check this story out:

https://www.itv.com/news/london/2023-12-19/club-fined-after-mistakenly-serving-caustic-soda-instead-of-salt-with-tequila

Sounds like a rough neighbourhood if that's what they're cutting it with! 😛

Supermarket sandwiches and wraps are not all handmade and it's even less common now than it was pre-pandemic. Grote is a big producer of sandwich and wrap production line machinery - google them. Caustic soda is used as a cleaner in industrial machinery and PP has said that it tastes salty and creates a burning sensation so that sounds like the most reasonable explanation to me. It wouldn't necessarily end up on the outside either OP, because it could have contaminated one of the ingredients as they made their way through the production line.

Coriander tastes like soap for me...

The symptoms you describe—burning sensation, extreme saltiness, and a chemical aftertaste—indicate the possibility of contamination or an issue with the sandwich's preparation or packaging. @AandEembarrassment

How rude. Actually a burning mouth could be a symptom of a severe allergy and as 111 advised her to go to A and E, she did the right thing.

I think most likely cleaning fluid? Would be good if you can find out (another reason to avoid supermarket sandwiches / wraps)

That would be my guess.

You did the correct thing getting checked out at A&E.

Give the sandwich to the EHO and not the company if they ask for it.

I wonder if it could have been a bug of some sort, although most insects do not have a strong taste, some taste a little salt, they can also taste buttery, and Arachnids, in contrast, taste awful. I once bit into a battered cod with added fly in it, not a pleasant taste (I was a child but still remember it and wont eat fish and chips again )

Of course, you absolutely need to send this to Environmental Health, so that they can analyse it and investigate. Don't send it to the company, as they may cover up any contamination that has happened. Environmental Health are there exactly for things such as this, so absolutely contact them.

Perhaps Google burning mouth syndrome. My DH had it, it’s not that uncommon. I’m sorry if this is what you have, it’s not a lot of fun.

Contact the Environmental Health Department at the council where the shop was. But to be honest, either will be fine as they can refer it to the correct one, it'll eventually end up with the EH of the manufacturer anyway.

Definitely update please.

It's not to do with the age of the nut, it's the type of pine nut from China (I know this cos I've an actual allergy to all pine nuts, bad things happen if I eat them) & only some ppl experience this reaction & it's not dangerous, just really unpleasant.

No idea if that's what has happened to you but I'll watching with interest to see exactly what did happen. Very curious!

Could've been an alcohol gel cleanser used by the worker that made the sandwich? If they hadn't rubbed it all off it could've gone into the middle of the wrap

An insect?

My sibling had an oven chip that tasted, well, like poo. Sent it to environmental health. It turns out it was contaminated by poo. This was back in the 80s so I don't remember what happened after that.

Random but it wasn't like a Caesar dressing? Thinking because anchovies are salty and that's how I first discovered my allergy to fish! Remember it being so salty and burning/tongue fizzing