Quorn Allergy

Marlow Foods, the manufacturers of Quorn products, have told us that mycoprotein is found only in Quorn branded products, not in any other food products on the UK market.

Quorn is used by many restaurants and take-away outlets as part of their vegan and vegetarian ranges, as a meat substitute. For instance, the Greggs vegan sausage roll is made with mycoprotein. Other examples include (but are not limited to): Pizza Express, Wasabi, Pizza Hut, Wetherspoons, KFC, Costa Coffee, Wimpy and Harvester.

Meat alternatives are not always made with Quorn, as they may be from other sources such as soya, pea or wheat. If you have an allergy to mycoprotein, it is important to check ingredients when ordering vegan and vegetarian dishes.

Other ingredients of Quorn

Quorn products contain a variety of ingredients other than mycoprotein. Some contain other potential allergens such as egg, milk and wheat. In some cases, allergic reactions to Quorn could be caused by these other ingredients. Allergy tests will help determine whether one of these may be the cause of your allergy instead of mycoprotein.

Precise statistics are not available. Based on our experience and on the knowledge gained via our helpline, we believe that allergy to Quorn is rare in the UK and this is supported by members of our clinical panel.

Self-reports of adverse reactions after consuming Quorn were reported in 2018. Analysis of these 1,752 self-reported reactions found that Quorn caused allergic and gastrointestinal symptoms, with some people experiencing both. It was reported that allergic reactions occurred within 4 hours of eating Quorn in 312 people and gastrointestinal symptoms within 8 hours of eating Quorn in 1,692 people.

We recommend that self-reported data should be treated with caution. There is an assumption that any adverse reactions are caused by mycoprotein, and the results are likely to be an overestimation. Analysis of the Marlow Foods database of reported illnesses over the 15-year period from 2003–2017 found the rate of allergic reactions to Quorn is extremely low.

It may not be allergy

Many people who believe that Quorn is causing unpleasant physical symptoms may not actually have an allergy. Some Quorn products contain ingredients that can be associated with symptoms of food intolerance, for example lactose, wheat, onion and garlic. These symptoms would be delayed onset gut symptoms, such as bloating, stomach pain and wind.

In January 2011, Marlow Foods convened a one-off independent expert panel in London to discuss consumer reports of adverse symptoms caused by mycoprotein. Panel members comprised respected international experts including Prof. Steve Taylor, Director of the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program in Nebraska, USA. The panel concluded:

The number of reported adverse reactions to mycoprotein is very low and it is likely that most of these incidents relate to the high fibre content. Mycoprotein provides around 5.5g of dietary fibre in 100g of Quorn mince or pieces. The Panel hypothesised that, in certain individuals or under certain conditions, consuming mycoprotein could speed up the normal transit of foods from the small to the large intestine. This could, in turn, cause the fibre in mycoprotein to be fermented very rapidly in the large intestine, leading to symptoms of gastro-intestinal distress of the type reported by some consumers. The small numbers of consumers at risk from this type of gut response may have an imbalance in their normal gut bacteria, an unusual dietary intake of fibre (too low or too high) or may suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

In a 2019 laboratory study, mycoprotein fibre was found to be easily fermented by gut bacteria. Although the effect has not been studied in humans, some people are sensitive to fermentable carbohydrates and may experience gut symptoms after eating mycoprotein.
If you have experienced symptoms suspected to have been triggered by Quorn consult your GP for a proper diagnosis. It may not be an allergy.