Allergic Reaction to my Chocolate Cake!!! Help... - Page 2

With two reactions I also would seriously doubt it is anything they ate. If they are teenagers for sure they already know if they are allergic to some foods or not. It may be something else.
Eggs is a big allergy, but usually gone by age of 6.
Keep us posted

My son has a severe cocoa allergy -- will break out in horrendous hives head to toe, has been hospitalized with a reaction, etc. He's only two and already knows he can't eat chocolate because it "gives bumpies", so I really think that if these children had a food allergy they would know it. I'm with everyone else in that it must have been a contact reaction or something viral. Good luck!!

To be fair, it could be an allergy that no one was aware of. Allergies do "come and go". When my daughter was about 6, she developed an allergy to chocolate. Threw up every time she ate it. She actually outgrew it by the time she was 7. It was short lived. At the time, I didn't know kids could outgrow allergies, nor did I know they can just one day show up and then a year or so later just disappear.

Could be anything.

At the risk of sounding mean and uncaring--and to some I'm sure that I will--I think you're being very thoughtful to have even gone to the trouble of going through your ingredients list with this woman. For me, that would be the end of my involvement. Allergic reactions are not a Health Department issue--they are generally person specific issues.

Unless these kids have a known allergy to chocolate, eggs, wheat/flour, or food dyes, it would be highly unusual for them to have magically developed it having eaten your cake. This isn't something that just appears out of thin air. Have you seen the highly colored, additve laden garbage that kids call candy these days???? No way they haven't had previous exposures to every ingredient in that cake!

That said, you shouldn't lose one moment's sleep over this. You have zero control over the people who choose to eat your cake. You didn't do anything that merits any further consideration. There are myriad things to consider in this instance--perhaps the plate, aluminum foil, or saran wrap was the issue.

If the parents of these children are really concerned, they should do the footwork here--NOT YOU. They take the kids and a piece of the cake (and ideally the plate, foil, or saran) to an allergist. The kids are given allergy tests for various ingredients starting with the most likely to produce a reaction. The parents are given a list of positives and told to make sure the child avoids the item. If it's an unavoidable--usually environmental--they usually get a price prescription for meds and/or an Epi Pen for more severe reactions.

I guess all I can say is please don't worry about this.

Rae

to add to the weird allergy...and to remind you it's NOT your fault.

as a kid....deathly allergic to poison ivy.

w/ help of desensitization shots...out grew it.

but

in my early 40's (oops shouldn't have told you that!) i developed an allergy to CASHEWS after inhaling them all my life w/ impunity.

turns out cashews and poison ivy are part of the same plant family.

so now....no cashews....boy does that cut down on the granola and Chinese food options! oh....and get this even have to avoid traditional Chinese furniture finished in traditional techniques --> they use cashew oil to make the finish!

For a rash all over they'd have had to be naked when they "got into" something.

Whether the problem was your cake or not, who knows. If no one's asking for money, just information, I think if it were me I'd be just a bit worried given two separate sets of problems.

Gabby,
People think I am nuts because I always ask if there are food allergies and on my stickers for cookies I put the nut/milk product disclaimer...even when sending them to my son't school I throw one of there. Catering jobs - people pick out their own selections - are ones that I always ask this question as well. You would be amazed how people just do not know and they have to find out. I also ask about vegeterian considerations too. It's just because that is how I was taught to do it. In my regular job I have 55 staff members and I know all of theirs because if we have a food event, I try to accomodate all of the dietary concerns... they laugh at me - but as I said, it's how I was taught to handle it. (I just gave up that I am a nut )

But regarding your situation......

In all reality when a person requests a cake or any food stuff from a vendor they usually ask or stay away from products that they know will cause an issue - if they don't then that was their failure not yours. I do not think you should take on the liability of this issue. It may be the family changed their fabric softner or a fragrance from their Aunt Milly or something like that...

I would not take this on as your responsibility - if you feel inclined (I would probably..) offer her an ingredient list and leave it at that. You made them what they asked for - if the lady is just trying to gain info for the parents to help isolate what caused it, that wouldn't be bad ~ but I repeat this is not your issue. There are a Gad-zillion variable that could be the cause.

Invision going into McDonalds, ordering a McNugget and then informing them you are allergic to Chicken - they would say tough tookies... you got what you asked for...

Hugs,

on a side note, I had a rash once, went to the doctor and asked if it could be a food allergy. He said that only very rarely do food allergies cause rashes and that is normally a contact kind of thing. (i.e. they rubbed the cake all over their bodies LOL)

Just thought I'd add that in.

Just to clear up, were these children siblings or from separate families? Did anyone else have any sort of reaction? Was the rash disappearing and then after the second helping of cake it came back worse on both children? Had they experienced this with anything else before? Were the children taken to the doctor? (I'm sorry as you may not have been given any of this information , but if she is saying the cake caused it then I would want to know the children were taken to a physician who could shine some light on what caused it.) I

t could be a chocolate allergy, or allergy to the red dye, although that would be odd that both children would be experiencing it at same time. A rash all over could also be fifth disease which is contagious and common virus in children (children will have a "slapped cheek" look and covered in a pink lacy rash). A virus is a more plausible cause then allergic reaction at the same time experienced in the same way.

If my DD eats BC or Fondant with red dye, as long as we wash her face quickly the rash won't be bad. If ithe dye stays on for a while it gets pretty bad, but we put Castor oil on it and the rash goes away. We have to watch her with Ketchup, BBQ sauce, BBQ chips, and Nacho cheese chips such as Doritoes. She's only 2 and already tries to pay attention to what will break her out. And she'll try to wash it off her own face quickly.

Hmm teenagers?? Does mono cause rashes?? You never know?! Girl, don't worry about this! I agree with the ones who said it should be the parents problem to figure this out not you. If you feel you should then give her the ingredients list. But I don't think it's necessary either. It could be anything & I do think it has nothing to do with your cake~

So with all this fuss going on the customer's son is wanting his mom to order another of your cakes? I doubt it was your cake. Kids that age ought to know what they can't have if they have allergies. My ganddaughter can't get tomato based sauces on her face or she'll break out. If it's washed off quickly she's okay. I wouldn't worry about trying to pin down the cause myself. And if the woman suspects your cake why would she consider ordering another cake from you? I don't mean for you to miss any business but seems strange to me.

LOL TINA i was totally thinking the same thing. boy girl teenagers come on i can think of a few things they could have done to get a rash all over them.

Coming from a family with severe food and environmental allergies, I can shed a little light on allergic reactions. It is extremely rare for a food allergy to cause a rash. Usually food allergies will cause hives, headaches, itchy watery eyes and/or nose, sleepiness, digestive upset, low grade fever, intestinal cramping, mood change, swelling of the mouth or esophagus, swelling of the hands or feet, flushing of the face, hands or feet, a cold achy-ness in the hands or feet, peeling of the skin in the mouth, ......... I think you get the idea. Generally, food allergies will affect the internal environment first and foremost and it is very uncommon for them to affect the outside. That said, it is uncommon, but not impossible --But....2 kids with the same rash?? I have to agree with the others that this sounds more like a contact dermatitis, or environmental exposure. The kids should be seen by a doctor, but even that will not prove anything, as the doctor will probably not be able to give a 'for sure' answer.

If it will ease your mind, by all means give her a list of ingredients used, but do not accept blame. A stranger's allergies are not your problem!!

Hope this helps to ease your concerns......