McCormick spices

[spacecanada]

I just heard on Facebook (from several people) that McCormick spices won't be PN/TN-free as of 2017.  Can anyone here confirm or deny that?  We rely on them for everything...

[GoingNuts]

FML. 

[spacecanada]

What does FML stand for?

[CMdeux]

well, the last two words are "my life" if that helps.  lol.

[spacecanada]

Yeah, that makes sense then.  Everything in our house is McCormick... We would be reduced to using only fresh herbs and spices if they were no longer safe.  (Healthier, sure, but I already have to make everything from scratch...) 😬😪

Does anyone have any leads or information on this? I am hoping it is just an Internet rumour without any real basis.

[Macabre]

I've not seen anything, and when I google I see nothing--not even rumors. 

[PurpleCat]

I've heard and read nothing about this.  What is their source?

[spacecanada]

Nobody could give me a source so I emailed McCormick USA directly and received a very prompt reply.  They have no plans to change their manufacturing processes. They do use coconut in their facilities so they cannot claim to be nut-free, but they are peanut-free. 

The rumour is total bogus.  Why do people start these types of rumours?

[GoingNuts]

Oh Thank Goodness!   Whew!

[SilverLining]

Thank you spacecanada.

[becca]

I had not heard anything about that, and thank you for checking!  We also use McCormick primarily, but also Penzey's when I get there.  They are peanut and tree nut free, according to their staff.  They do warn me off of pink peppercorn, which would be in some of their pepper blends.  I guess it is related or cross reactive with PN in some people? 

[spacecanada]

Pink peppercorns might be cross reactive with cashew. 

The AAAI isn't sure if they pose and allergy risk:
http://www.aaaai.org/ask-the-expert/cashew-pistachio

Allergic Living confirms the correlation as well, citing pink peppercorn may be problematic:
http://allergicliving.com/2016/05/30/can-someone-with-a-cashew-allergy-react-to-mangoes-or-peppercorns/

We try to avoid pink peppercorns, to be on the safe side.

Now I wonder if McCormick uses pink peppercorns in anything... Eek! We have only ever bought their black peppercorns, but I have seen mixed peppercorns on the spice display before.