A Texas student with a peanut allergy died after the restaurant changed the recipe, parents say

“She took a few bites and realized something was wrong… She put her Epipen… but somewhere along the way things went downhill,” said Grover Pickering.

A 23-year-old Texas college student has died after her family said she unknowingly ingested peanuts during a date at a restaurant.

That’s what Alison Pickering’s family said CBS News that they hope to raise awareness about food allergies after they say she died despite being careful and aware of her allergy – even eating out at a restaurant she had previously been to.

Her parents told the outlet that she was on a first date a few days before her graduation from Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, in May 2023, when she chose to eat at a restaurant she had been to before — which wasn’t was identified. in the article – and ordered a menu item she had ordered before: a Mahi-Mahi.

“She would go to the same restaurants repeatedly and order the same dishes, you know. And that was very common,” Alison’s father, Grover Pickering, told the outlet.

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However, her parents said the dish this time was different from the previous times she ate there because the restaurant changed the recipe to include peanut sauce. According to Allison obituarythis was not “disclosed” on the restaurant menu, furthermore, Grover told CBS News that the wait staff was also unaware of the change.

“She took a few bites and realized something was wrong,” Grover said. “She did her Epipen. The ambulance came. She even walked to the ambulance and talked to them, but somewhere along the way things went downhill.”

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Allison experienced “severe anaphylactic shock,” according to her obituary. Anaphylaxis is a “life-threatening allergic reaction that occurs very quickly” and in its most severe stages a person can “lose consciousness”, “become unable to breathe” and have “insufficient blood supply to vital organs”, according to the UK National healthcare system And Cleveland Clinic.

That’s what happened to Allison, her parents said, and led them to advocate for Texas’ freedom. Sergio Lopez Food Allergy Awareness Act. The legislation would require food service companies to train their staff on food allergen safety, and would be extended to restaurant workers in the US.

“It’s tragic and it doesn’t have to happen to anyone else,” Grover told CBS News of his daughter’s death.

Related: Wisconsin student, 19, dies of peanut allergy after her friend gave her a gluten-free brownie

He noted that the family also hoped to work with the Texas Restaurant Association to help “determine” what “guidelines can be put in place to help restaurants have better communication with their customers regarding ingredients.”

“I know this is going to save lives,” said his wife, Joy Pickering.

As for Allison, her family says she will be remembered as someone who “loved people” and enjoyed “working with children,” according to her obituary.