Quorn, a protein rich fungus, used in fake chicken is causing allergic reactions

[steven johnson]

Since everything is starting to taste like chicken, some confusion as the contents of the 'chicken' has arisen along with questions about safety.

Caveat cenator = Eater beware.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is acting as co-counsel on a lawsuit filed today by an Arizona woman accusing Quorn Foods Inc. of not disclosing on labels the fact that some people have serious allergic reactions to the main ingredient in its Quorn line of meat substitutes.

Quorn is derived from a protein rich fungus, which the company grows in large vats. The fungus, Fusarium venenatum, was discovered growing in a field in Buckinghamshire, England, in the late 1960s and developed as a food product.

But the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based nonprofit food safety and nutrition watchdog group and a vocal critic of restaurant chains that offer salt- and fat-laden foods, disagrees. It said that more than 1,000 people have reported suffering from nausea, vomiting and diarrhea after eating Quorn's products, which include Chik’n Nuggets, Patties, Garlic & Herb Cutlets, Naked Cutlets, Recipe Tenders and Gruyere Cutlets.

Meanwhile, the vegan-oriented Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says it is readying a lawsuit against the giant KFC fast-food chain under California law for failing to warn consumers that the chain’s new grilled chicken product contains a dangerous carcinogen... PhIP, a chemical that it said can increase a person’s risk of developing cancer even if consumed in small amounts.




Lawsuits target chicken and its veggie substitutes

[appal_jack]

1. That Quorn stuff is just wrong

I tried Quorn a few times, and though it tasted OK, I never felt right afterwards: not violently ill or anything - just slightly off. There are some really toxic members of the Fusarium genus, so I guess it should be no surprise that Quorn can irritate one's digestive tract too.

As for anything cooked in a KFC - those foods have made me quite ill on the 2 or 3 rare times that I actually ate there (and in a life of 38 years, that's 2 or 3 times too many).

-app

[Warpy]

6. Really? I love the stuff and I feel fine when I eat it

but it's expensive enough I don't eat it very often.

Commercially raised chicken, however, always has a strong "off" flavor to me, so I'm glad Quorn products are around to satisfy that fried chicken Jones.

The truth is you can be allergic to anything. I react badly to Vitamin C and have to be very careful of fruits, veggies, and anything the food industry loads with it. It's put me into the hospital in the past.

Singling Quorn products out for warning labels is a little silly. Fairness would suggest warning labels on all other common allergens like corn, milk, shellfish, strawberries, and nuts.

The bottom line? If you don't feel good when you eat something, don't eat it.

[appal_jack]

8. Glad it works for you.

Singling-out Quorn for a warning label may not make a whole lot more sense than "labels on all other common allergens like corn, milk, shellfish, strawberries, and nuts," but the fact remains that Fusarium is a brand-new food for all human beings. It may work-out as great, or it may not.

We humans sure are a varied bunch. I need at least 3 grams (yes, 3,000 mg) of Vitamin C per day, or my lymph glands start swelling noticeably by early evening. And unlike Leviticus (and satirical websites), I do not believe that "God Hates Shrimp."

I agree: "If you don't feel good when you eat something, don't eat it."

:hi:

-app

PS - Anyone else remember the old Dr. Who episode (late 60's / early 70's?) where he encounters some hippies who are eating a mushroom that "Tastes just like meat!"? Methinks that the writers knew some of the scientists that had discovered the Quorn fungus....

[jgraz]

2. I never eat any food with a "Q" in it.

Quorn, Kumquats, Quince... they all freak me out.

[lurky]

3. I actually like Quorn.

It's one of the better mock-chicken products out there, IMO. I don't get it that often, since I can only eat so many microwave "chicken" patties without getting bored, but I never had any negative reactions...

:shrug:

[PatGund]

4. Those idiots AGAIN???

The "Center for Science in the Public Interest" has had a hate-on for Quorn in the United States since day one. Something about the money they take from the makers of Gardenburger, Morningstar Farms, and other soy product companies.

http://www.undueinfluence.com/milloy.htm

"So why is CSPI trying so carnivorously to destroy Quorn?

CSPI appears to have an unsavory relationship with Quorn competitor, Gardenburger -- a company that rails against Quorn on its Web site and pesters the FDA.

CSPI regularly promotes Gardenburger products on its Web site and publications.

In the April 1998 issue of its newsletter, for example, CSPI stated: "Remember the saturated fat and the E.coli bacteria that could be hiding inside ? You can keep the taste but forget the worries with Gardenburger."

CSPI recently spotlighted Flame Grilled Hamburger Style Gardenburgers as a "favorite" that "taste like they're hot off the coals."

That's from a group labeling itself as a "nonprofit education and advocacy organization that focuses on improving the safety and nutritional quality of our food."

"R-r-r-i-i-i-i-ght," as Austin Powers' Dr. Evil might say.

The president of Gardenburger e-mailed food brokers a copy of a letter sent by CSPI to the FDA supposedly documenting adverse consumer reactions to Quorn.

The e-mail asked the brokers to send the letter to retailers and notes "these are the same guys who hounded Procter & Gamble until they finally withdrew the fat substitute Olestra from sale. Net, I'd say Quorn's days are numbered ..."

This cutthroat e-mail is even more sinister as it was sent to brokers the same morning CSPI sent its letter to the FDA but a week before CSPI publicly announced its findings.

CSPI even told the FDA, "... considering the plethora of tasty, nutritious meat alternatives on supermarket shelves, there is absolutely no need for ."

http://www.undueinfluence.com/cspi.htm

"Promotes favored vegetarian products while vilifying others (CSPI called one brand of mushroom cheeseburgers "sumo wrestler cuisine" for being too fatty), raising questions of undue influence."

So basically CSPI gets money from the soy companies and then badmouths Quorn. Surprise surprise.

I'm allergic to soy. I happen to like Quorn. And I'm NOT a vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination.

[silverweb]

10. Thanks for this information.

It explains a LOT.

I used to like Gardenburgers, too. They claim to not use genetically modified soy, which is good, but then I learned that growing (supposedly) non-GMO soy is one of the reasons so much of the Amazon rainforest is being destroyed.

Quorn is produced in vats; no clear-cut land use required.

A possible reason for Gardenburger's aggressive attacks on Quorn might have something to do with the fact that they had to file for _Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2005_. The company's very survival appears to be at stake -- think cornered rats and all that kind of thing, not that it makes their lies justifiable.

[silverweb]

5. I LOVE Quorn.

They use egg whites as a binder, so it's not vegan, and some people are allergic to eggs, but I've never heard of any other type of allergic reaction to it.

Bookmarked for later, when I have more time to study this.

[MemeSmith]

7. Quorn is a major part of our diet

I turned veggie in 1989 and Quorn has been a life changer, since its introduction some years later. My wife and two kids are regular eaters, too.

There is no controversy here in the UK. Some people react to some foods. Comparitively few react to Quorn.

In the US, Quorn is under attack from a soya products industry that is rightly threatened. I simply buy no soya meat substitutes since Quorn's arrival and I used to buy lots. Quorn is far superior and doesn't need to be rehydrated, so it's quicker too. Very bland in its natural state, but very tasty when browned by heat, and takes on sauce flavours enthusiastically.

The allergy thing is a complete piece of misinformation, by the champions of soya products. Quorn, like many foods, does produce allergic reactions in some people, but soya produces more.

Yes, Quorn may have an adverse effect, in rare cases.

No, soya is not safer.

[intaglio]

9. Quorn has been sold in the UK since 1985

and very few allergic reactions have been reported.

[LeftyMom]

11. I'd rather just eat seitan.

I make it myself, so I know what's in it.