Jul 10
My 5-year-old daughter suffered a severe allergic reaction after an American Airlines flight attendant assured me her meal contained no eggs or nuts. Only after she developed symptoms did the flight attendant pull up the meal information and discover it was "cashew hummus." She required an EpiPen mid-flight, and our family learned firsthand that passengers may not have access to the same meal information available to the crew before making critical decisions about what is safe to eat.

American Airlines Cashew Hummus Sparks Another Allergic Reaction!

07/02/2026

American Airlines staff assured me that the meal I chose  was safe for my egg/nut allergic, 5-year-old daughter to consume. After eating a carrot stick out of the hummus and a bite of the pita bread from the tray, she began to complain about a sore throat. In minutes, she had hives developing on her face, swollen lips, and started to double over with stomach pain.

I spoke with the flight attendant and told him I was nervous she was having a reaction to the food. He pulled up the menu and there it was: “cashew hummus” on his screen. Following the protocol from our allergist, I immediately administered her EpiPen. There was an MD on board who was able to listen to her lungs and check her O2, and say she sounded good. And the flight attendants were talking to the on-ground doctor for advice. As my daughter responded well to the EpiPen, the flight remained on its route, and we waited 3 hours to finally land. The EMTs met us on the jetbridge and checked her vitals in the airport reminding us that we should go directly to the ER even though her vitals were good.

We were very lucky she responded so well to the EpiPen, but as a mother, knowing the severity of her allergy, I could not breathe a full breath until we were off that plane. All I could think of was the last time she had a reaction to nuts and needed a second EpiPen, and how the doctor’s orders are to go to the hospital immediately after using it.

We learned a lot this flight: 1. Not to trust anyone on the allergens in the food on board the flight 2. Use of an EpiPen during a flight to treat a severe reaction is not automatically considered an emergency that would cause the plane to land

After the flight, I reflected on what had happened. The flight attendant had simply told me that all of the food was safe and contained no eggs or nuts. It was only after I alerted him that I thought my daughter was having an allergic reaction that he pulled up the airline’s app and reviewed the meal information with me. That was when we saw the meal listed as “cashew hummus.”

I still don’t understand why I, as the parent of a child with life-threatening food allergies, was never able to see the meal description or a list of allergens myself so I could make an informed decision. In this case, “cashew” was part of the name of the hummus, but that information was never shared with me before my daughter ate it.

I contacted attorney Laurel Francouer because I wanted to better understand the rules and regulations surrounding airline meals and food allergy safety. I also wanted to help advocate for changes so that another family does not have to experience what ours did. She connected me with Lianne No Nut Traveler so I could share our experience and warn others.