The Disgusting Truth about Pancake Mix

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 11:53pm

According to Urban Legends this is true. I've included what they had to say
at the end.

Subject: Pancake Mix


>
>
>DEAR ABBY:
>
>
>
>I recently made a batch of pancakes for my healthy 14-year-old son,
>using a mix that was in our pantry. He said that they tasted "funny,"
>but ate them anyway. About 10 minutes later, he began having difficulty

>breathing and his lips began turning purple. I gave him his allergy
>pill, had him sit on the sofa and told him to relax. He was wheezing
>while inhaling and exhaling. My husband, a volunteer firefighter and
>EMT, heated up some water, and we had my son lean over the water so the

>steam could clear his chest and sinuses.
>Soon, his breathing became more regular and his lips returned to a more

>normal color. We checked the date on the box of pancake mix and, to my
>dismay, found it was very outdated. As a reference librarian at an
>academic institution, I have the ability to search through many
research
databases.
>I
>did just that, and found an article the next day that mentioned a
>19-year-old male DYING after eating pancakes made with outdated mix.
>Apparently, the mold that forms in old pancake mix can be toxic! When
>we told our friends about my son's close call, we were surprised at the

>number of people who mentioned that they should check their own pancake

>mix since they don't use it often, or they had purchased it some time
>ago. With so many people shopping at warehouse-type stores and buying
>large sizes of pancake mix, I hope your readers will take the time to
>check the expiration date on their boxes. Also, beware of outdated
>cake, brownie and cookie mixes.


Origins: In April 2006, the experience of a 14-year-old who had eaten
pancakes made from a mix that had gone moldly was described in the popular
newspaper column Dear Abby. The account has since been circulated widely on
the Internet as scores of concerned homemakers ponder the safety of the
pancake mix lurking in their
larders.

There is truth in tale. Yet its inherent warning is overblown.

While we cannot vet the incident described by "Sue in Wyantskill" involving
her 14-year-old son, the underlying claim is provably true - it is possible
for someone who chows down on pancakes made from a mix that has sat around
too long to suffer a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction to the molds
that have grown therein. We know this to be so because it has happened
before, and the resultant death was documented.

In 2001, two pathologists practicing in Charleston, South Carolina, reported
on an unnamed 19-year-old who died in such a manner. While home on vacation
from college, the victim, a young man with a history of allergies (including
mold), polished off two pancakes made from a packaged mix that had sat open
in a kitchen cabinet for about two years - even though his two friends
stopped eating their portions, complaining that the griddlecakes tasted like
rubbing alcohol. Very quickly thereafter, while watching television, the
ill-fated collegian experienced shortness of breath that was not relieved by
his inhaler. He asked his friends to take him to a clinic not far from the
home, and he was reported to have turned a bit blue from lack of oxygen
(i.e., became cyanotic) during the ride. While he did manage to walk into
the clinic on his own, once inside he suddenly collapsed in cardiopulmonary
arrest. He failed to respond to resuscitative efforts and was pronounced
dead.

The cause of his death was determined to be anaphylaxis due to an allergic
reaction to molds.

Anaphylaxis is a rapidly developing immunologic reaction that occurs when
those who have allergies come in contact with the substances they are
allergic to. When it kills, it does so by triggering fatal respiratory or
cardiac arrest.

The pancake mix that delivered a toxic payload was analyzed and found to
contain four rather nasty molds: Penicillium, Fusarium, Mucor, and
Aspergillus. The decedent had not been allergic to eggs (which are a
component of pancakes), so there was no doubt as to which allergy had killed
him. It had been mold, and nothing but.

There was a death, and it had been due to ancient pancake mix. Or, rather,
to an allergic reaction to the mold that had grown in the stale pancake mix.

It needs be kept in mind there is nothing inherently toxic about pancake mix
that has passed its freshness date, the product's getting old does not
transform it into a poison, nor does the growth of mold within opened boxes
of flapjack powder turn it into something that will fell all who ingest it.
Only those who have allergies to mold are at risk, and even then, for the
pancake mix to pose a hazard it has to contain mold spores, not just be over
the hill.

For mold to gain access to a food product, the foodstuff has to be exposed
to its spores. Pancake mix cocooned in an unbreached wax paper, plastic, or
a foil pouch within its outer packaging wouldn't have this contact and
should still be safe no matter how old it gets. However, mix sold unpouched
in cardboard boxes or paper sacks would likely be at risk even if the box or
sack hadn't previously been opened, because such packaging would not
necessarily keep dampness out, and mold thrives in damp environments.

What does all this mean? If you don't have a mold allergy, you needn't fear
your pancake mix; if you do have such a sensitivity, you shouldn't keep your
flapjack makings around for a few years after opening the box or pouch it
came in. It's not worth dying over 50¢ worth of pancake mix, so when in
doubt, throw it out.

Barbara "better to pitch the crepe than to hang it" Mikkelson

[peggyandvelma]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 11:57pm

What does all this mean?

It means check the date on your food!
But this is very interesting. Thanks BSo.

[DancNdaMoonlite]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 1:11am

*goes to check date on pancake mix*

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 1:17am

That's really interesting; and not something you would think of, at all. Mold allergies are really common, though -- a lot of people don't even know they have them, because often they just call it "seasonal allergy," without knowing what they're specifically allergic to. It's kind of moot, sometimes, to know you're allergic to mold in specific, because you don't eat the kind of mold you'd associate that environmental allergy with, so people ignore the risk of anaphylactic reaction.

I was reading through it and judging by the title, I thought it would be something weird about how pancake mix, once expired, can and will kill everybody, but I was thinking to myself "that can't be right, it sounds like an allergic reaction," which is exactly what it is. Yes, check your dates, but also be aware of any allergies you have.

I've had allergic reactions like that, stemming out of my allergy to mold. It took a long time to figure out what had triggered the reaction, just for that reason.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 1:28am

You're allergic to things, Em?

[Rose_MacShane]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 1:28am

It also teaches us that if your food tastes "funny", DON'T EAT IT!!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 1:35am

Too many, Munk. You knew that, no?

Updated On: 5/24/06 at 01:35 AM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 2:02am

I have a severe mold allergy. I don't really eat pancakes and when I do, they're from scratch, not mix, but that's still really scary. I've had some really bad reactions in the past, so I don't want to know how I would react to actually eating it.

[Peter]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 4:21am

I never understood why people buy pancake mix since theyre so easy to make. As a matter of fact, I make buttermilk pancakes a lot...1c flour, 1tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 egg beaten, 1 cup buttermilk. Mix together flour baking soda and salt with whisk...whisk together egg and buttermilk..combine with flour mixture, but dont overmix...its really easy. Double ingredients for more than 2. If you dont have buttermilk..use milk with a little lemon juice..or just milk.

[zzannahk]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 5:30am

and now for Suzanne's German Pancake Recipe, no Pancake mix needed

1. turn on griddle or frying pan, you need it hot, hot, hot
2. Mix in bowl,
1 cup flour, regular dont get fancy
1 cup milk
a few drops of vanilla
1 egg
3. mix, mix, mix
4. you want the batter to be pretty thin, so add some milk
5. oil or crico to coat surface, pour small, silver dollar, but not much bigger
6. do not flip until golden brown!
7. ENJOY!!!!

season with jams, jellies, syrup, etc

another variation, drop in apple slices , this will help to gauge size, yummmy

[GuyfromGermany]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 5:54am

Hmm, I guess one shouldn't eat molded food AT ALL...?

[Holly Therese]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 7:13am

Gah, I was just about to make some pancakes...pass.

[Glebb]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 8:46am

Why does this thread's title make me grin?
I don't even like pancakes.

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 10:26am

I guess you should stick to eating fois gras.

I have a friend who makes heavenly pancakes, substituting 7-Up for half the milk.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 11:17am

Yeah, I make them from scratch as well. It costs less and is just as simple to do. Put stuff in bowl and stir. That's it. I mean, I don't want to put Bea and Delilah out of business or anything, but I don't want to die, either.

[Broadwaylady]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 2:43pm

My box of pancake mix would never last two years. Let alone two weeks. That is my treat every Sunday morning. Besides, don't you have the opening closed up?

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 2:59pm

Any 'flour' will go bad after a while if not properly stored. Sheesh, 2 years! I would never eat anything that sits in my cupboard longer than 6 months.

Not sure if regular flour could kill you, but it tastes funny.

[kate2]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 4:44pm

I still love pancakes!

[kelzama]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 7:47pm

You hear these stories and think, "oh, God, not another one."

Much to my shock, snopes.com says it's true.
Snopes verifies

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 7:51pm

kelzama - the first post is from a mass email.

The whole thing is straight from snopes.com.

[AbbaRabbit]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:05pm

another reason i'm glad i make my own pancakes from scratch.

there's a wicked good recipie on that back of the bags of goyas rice flour

Updated On: 5/24/06 at 09:05 PM

[kelzama]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:18pm

BSoBW: How about that? I also always flunked those tests that said, "read the whole way through before you do anything.", and then the last instruction was don't do anything.

Links look prettier, anyhow.

[BluCat500]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:29pm

At least there weren't bugs in the mix...

Anyway, I never trusted the smiley bastards, give me a crepe anyday...

[Mamie]

Posted: 5/24/06 at 11:48pm

LOL - I saw the caps used in the title of this thread and thought you were spreading some vicious gossip about a BWW poster named 'Pancake Mix'.

[paradox_error]

Posted: 5/25/06 at 9:10am

See what I don't understand is why people would think it is safe to "polish off two pancakes made from a packaged mix that had sat open
in a kitchen cabinet for about two years"

AN OPEN BOX! OPEN FOR TWO YEARS.

Dear god, that's just stupid! I'm not surprised it killed someone...

Next we'll get "The Disgusting Truth about Milk", and people will start telling us we can die from drinking milk that has been left open in the cupboard for two years.

I'm just dumbfounded.