HelplineThomas's Story
Thomas, 21, lives with peanut and legume allergies.
“I’ve lived with allergies all my life. I was diagnosed soon after birth with peanut, legume and milk allergies, although I’m grateful to have grown out of the milk allergy.
Lately, I’ve been finding my allergies harder to manage, especially as pea protein is being added to an increasing number of foods.
Shopping and eating out have become much more stressful than they used to be – and I know I’m not alone in feeling that it’s getting harder and harder to find safe food.
Sometimes, I’ll go back to a dish I’ve eaten for years, only to discover the recipe has changed and I can no longer have it. Over the past five years, I’ve had a growing number of allergic reactions. The safest option for me is to cook everything from scratch, but with shift work, that just isn’t always practical.
Recently, I’ve noticed pea protein appearing in foods like fresh pizza and even frozen cheesy garlic bread, which makes everyday choices more complicated.
Pea protein isn’t one of the 14 allergens that must be highlighted by law on ingredient lists. I feel strongly that, at the very least, there should be clear information when a recipe has changed.”