Itchy throat after a poppy seed roll, or hives after a slice of poppy seed cake? Poppy seed is easy to miss: a sprinkle on bread, a thick filling in pastry, and it is not on the EU list of allergens that labels must highlight. Our test checks your blood for IgE antibodies to whole poppy seed and to one of its storage proteins, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components including sesame, hazelnut and buckwheat.
The poppy seeds in your bakery come from the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. They are small, but like other seeds they are packed with storage proteins. One of these is a 2S albumin, from the same protein family as sesame's Ses i 1 and Brazil nut's Ber e 1. 2S albumins are stable to heat, so baked poppy seed still carries them.
Poppy seed is especially common in German, Austrian, Czech and Polish baking, where fillings are made almost entirely of ground poppy seed. That is a lot more seed than a sprinkle on a roll.
IgE sensitisation to poppy seed is rare, but when people do react, published reports describe the reactions as usually severe. People describe itching in the mouth or throat, swollen lips or eyes, hives, stomach cramps, wheezing or feeling faint, usually within minutes of eating.
Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or feeling faint after eating is an emergency. Call 112 (EU) or your local emergency number. Do not wait for a test.
Case reports describe poppy seed sensitisation together with sesame, hazelnut, rye, kiwi and buckwheat. Not every one of these links is fully explained, and some people simply have several food sensitisations at once. All of these are on the panel, so the pattern is visible in one report.
A positive result shows sensitisation, not that you will react. If you have never reacted to poppy seed, do not cut it out on a result alone. If you have, take the result to a doctor or allergist.
The lab measures IgE to a whole poppy seed extract and to a poppy seed 2S albumin on its own. Your lab report gives each a measured value and class, from Negative to Very high, next to sesame, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed and the nuts on the panel.
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One finger-prick sample checks IgE to 300 allergens and allergen components, from birch and peanut to cat and house dust mite. Post it to the lab, and about 5 days after it arrives you get a value for every one. Our plain-English guide shows you how to read them. €399 in total, €1.33 per allergen.
No, it is rare. But reports describe the reactions that do happen as often severe. Because poppy seed does not have to be highlighted on EU labels, it is worth checking ingredients on bread and pastries.
Not necessarily. Cross-sensitisation has been described, but many people with sesame sensitisation eat poppy seed without a problem. The panel measures both, so you can see your own pattern.
Not reliably. Seed storage proteins such as 2S albumins are stable to heat, so baked goods still contain them. If you have reacted to poppy seed before, ask your doctor what applies to you.
