Quorn... literally vomit-inducing?

So, I bought some Quorn mince and sausages today, since I've pretty much 'accidentally' stopped eating red meat. While looking online for calorie information I found a lot of articles about the mold it's made from causing severe allergic reactions in quite a few people (vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, etc). I'm really worried about eating it now...

Here's a link to some testimonials.
http://www.cspinet.org/quorn/victims.html

Am I being too paranoid? Have any of you suffered adverse reactions to eating Quorn? I have a tonne of work to do and I can't afford to be taken out by my dinner. :)

i have never personally had any problems from the product, it's all good by me and i've eaten alot of it!

Those claims are probally made by the National Beef Foundation, or some kind of person who is a butcher.

Not one Quorn product bothers me or my husband.

I think your chances are pretty slim. It's like any other food carries the danger of allergic reaction, like peanuts or seafood. Just try to limit yourself when your first have it instead of having a huge helping. If you don't have any reaction the first time, I think you're good after that.

Oh, and when you do try it, please post a little review of the product, like how it tasted, etc. I'm a vegetarian and dying to know if it's any good. Good luck.

i see, i think i was just making a mountain out of a molehill. thank you everyone for your comments.

moop - heh, i'm pretty sure the claims are legitimate. there's just a lot of controversy over how many people are affected by it (out of how many that eat it)

muttlover - i just tried the sausages. they were pretty good! they smelled like sausages, they definitely got the 'sausagey' taste right. there was a little bit of an aftertaste though, and to be honest, as with any fake meat, you're always going to know it's not the real thing. it was also quite hard to shallow fry them properly because of the texture... i'll probably grill them next time. assuming i'm not violently sick within the next few hours i'd definitely eat them again at a later date.

i have a feeling the minced quorn will be better in bolognese, i'll be sure to post about it. :)

When I was younger I went to a friends house for dinner and was given Quorn, and then proceeded to vomit for the rest of the evening. However I've eaten it since and been absolutly fine, although I've realised that I actually quite dislike the taste, I much prefer veggie burgers made from potato and vegetables, or sausages made from mushroom and sundried tomato, mmm!

hey, well at least you're no longer allergic if you're forced to eat it. :D

i'm quite new to this 'fake meat' stuff, just thought i'd give it a try, and quorn was the only type they had in the shop. the recipes you mentioned do sound tasty... who knows maybe one day i'll switch completely. :o

I love quorn! I have been vegetarian since I was 7 and ever since have been eating quorn at least once a week, and have never got sick from it : ).

quorn is made from mushroom protein (technically mushroom are fungii) and egg whites and there are some people who are severely allergic to mushrooms and eggs -- I bet that's what it's about.

If you can eat mushrooms and egg whites, you'll be ok with it.

My daughter and I really really like the quorn items we've tried. (naked cutlets and the mince)

actually mushrooms and the mold (fungi) that quorn is made from are a different family. the company actually started calling it a fungal protein (instead of a protein made from mushroom) because people found it misleading... and it is.

i'm not really concerned with what a food is made from as long as it tastes good, i'll try anything... the fact that it's a mold doesn't put me off, heh.

either way i've eaten 3 servings since i posted this so i think i'm in the clear! :D

what did you think of the naked cutlets? any good?

Nomo Quorn isn't really a 'mushroom' product or at least the American Mushroom Institute says it's not. A fungus product yes but since Quorn uses fusarium which can't grow a mushroom it can't really be a 'mushroom' product.

I thought the naked cutlets were excellent so I went out and bought some more right away. Have had it plain with a bit of cheese melted on top & veggies on the side and also cut up and made into a wrap with avocado, tomato, red onion, lime juice and salsa. YUM!

Well, I haven't researched much about quorn. I thought it was made from mushroom protein because it's called 'mycoprotein' on the ingredient label and 'mycology' is the branch of biology that deals with mushrooms....

...but I think I'll keep telling my daughter that it's mushroom protein and not just some other old fungus....

;)

I think it's probably an individual thing in that some get sick, some don't. I've had quorn twice and became violently ill. I didn't realise what it was until the second time I was sick, and I web searched out of curiosity 'quorn - vomit'. I know it's TMI, but I never vomit, and with this stuff I was projectile vomiting to the point of dry heaving. These side effects happened within 2 hours of eating the stuff. Also got a really bad migrane headache. Very scary...considering I'm not allergic to anything and as I said I never ever vomit. Now, saying that, you may get sick, you may not. You'll never know unless you try it.

It's made from mold? o_o That's kind of..disturbing. Like blue cheese (which I sadly love).

msg73 - lol, i like the whole scary story about projectile vomiting... and then a suggestion to try it. i did try it in the end :) i was fine with it. it's still scary what it can do to certain people though.

ilisa - yep. well, it IS technically a fungus, but more precisely a mold grown in a dark vat. sounds appetising. the things you learn, eh?

So this Quorn patty walks into a bar and orders a beer.

Bartender says, "Hey, we don't serve your kind here!"

Quorn patty says, "Why not? I'm a fun gi."

'mycology' is the branch of biology that deals with mushrooms....

Mycology is the study of fungi. That includes mushrooms, but isn't exclusively mushrooms.

A friend of mine looked in my mycology textbook one time and told me it was the grossest book he'd ever seen... and he's a librarian! :-D

My mom and sister eat it a lot and they've never had any problems with it :) I agree that the ones getting sick probably have an allergy to mushrooms or eggs or something.

I have just come across this page after googling Quorn and vomit! The squeamish look away now!

Two days ago I ate some (delicious by the way) Quorn Cheese Escalopes. I had them with rice and soy sauce, my favourite combination.

An hour later I felt wheezy and kept coughing, but I thought it was just a cold or something. An hour and a half after that I had what have to have been the worst abdominal pains I've ever had. I was rolling around in agony for about 15 minutes, my boyfriend didn't know what to do and nearly called the ambulance. I was then violently sick for five minutes. After that I felt better although still had a dull stomach ache and was shaking. The whole next day in work I was sneezing with runny eyes and bright red nose.

I have to say, I have eaten Quorn sausages, once before in uni, and I was sick in the middle of the night. Thought it was the four glasses of wine, now I'm not so sure...

Quorn isn't made from mushrooms like I thought, but is a fungus grown in a lab. I have no allergy to mushrooms, which I love, nor cheese, which I also love. The fact that it is described on the Quorn website in comparison to mushrooms is only because it is a laboratory-grown fungus. Now, I would not normally have a problem with this as such, if (a) I had not presumed it was made from mushrooms, as has often been suggested to me, or (b) that there was a chance of an allergic reaction.

I'm allergic to nuts and a few months ago ate a nut burger by accident - the menu said Veggie burger, but after the wheezing and stomach cramps I realised something was up. Went back to the pub and on the other side of the menu in small letters it said "Hazelnut Burger". Taught me to be much more vigilant anyway.

I do feel slightly concerned that the Quorn company did not label the packaging with the fact that Quorn has been known to cause adverse reactions in people, because I had no idea about the risk. But maybe as a nut allergy sufferer I've been spoilt by the careful treatment we have!

I only eat good quality, non-fatty or grisly meat, and not even that much of it. I have toyed with the notion of being Veggie but it seems I'm doomed not to eat veggie burgers. I'm scared to try Tofu now...

I eat my lean ground beef in burgers on the grill. what can i say i know im not allergic to meat andone burger a week even never killed anyone. or had adverse affects on a diet. I have never tried quorn or veggie burgers and I think i will stick with my meat that  know where it came from rather then some fungus grown in a lab.