By GB News (World News) | Created at 2024-11-29 22:26:32 | Updated at 2024-11-30 00:56:11
2 hours ago
A 23-year-old Texas student tragically died after suffering an allergic reaction during a first date when a restaurant changed its recipe without informing diners.
Alison Pickering went into anaphylactic shock in May 2023 after consuming mahi-mahi fish containing undisclosed peanut sauce at a restaurant she frequently visited.
The Tarleton State University student, who had a severe peanut allergy, was just days away from graduating when she ordered the dish she had safely eaten many times before.
"She took a few bites, realised something was wrong," her father Grover Pickering told CBS News.
Alison Pickering died at a restaurant she had visited on many occasions
Obituary in The Flash Today Erath County
Tarleton State University
WikICommons
She was known to avoid sauces and dips that might contain nut extracts, carefully selecting establishments she trusted.
Neither Pickering nor the restaurant's waiting staff were aware that the kitchen had recently modified the recipe to include peanut sauce in the mahi-mahi dish. Her parents are now campaigning for greater food safety awareness in restaurants.
"We would love to see more done to make wait staff and patrons aware," Joy Pickering said.
The family hopes to work with the Texas Restaurant Association to improve communication regarding ingredients. "To determine what guidelines could be put in place to help restaurants have better communication to their customers as far as ingredients, much like labels on grocery store items you buy," Joy explained.
"I know we're going to save lives by doing this," Joy added.
"It's tragic and it doesn't need to happen to anyone else," Grover said.
The Texas Legislature passed the Sergio Lopez Food Allergy Awareness Act last year, named after another victim who died from unknowingly consuming peanuts in 2014. The legislation requires restaurants to display posters containing information about food allergies and proper responses to allergic reactions.
It also mandates that food training programmes and manager certification exams include food allergies as a subject. The Pickering family are advocating to strengthen these measures, emphasising the need for clear communication between restaurants and customers regarding ingredient changes and potential allergens.
