Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ7uIKqFVf8/Halloween is over but Thanksgiving and the winter holidays bring an abundance of chocolate into the home.  Now allergists from Chicago’s Northwestern U and New York’s Northwell Health warn that both authentic “Dubai chocolate” and copycat versions pose serious allergy risks for those with allergies to pistachio, sesame, wheat, milk, and other nuts. These common allergens are present in Dubai chocolate, and the ingredient labels often fail to report this fact. In particular, sesame allergies are on the rise and now represent the 9th most common food allergen for Americans. This agent is often used in the creamy tahini that fill Dubai chocolate candies.With the rising popularity of this candy, emergency physicians nationwide are treating more and more allergy cases linked to mislabeled or homemade versions of the Dubai chocolate.If you or a family member has a nut, sesame, wheat, or milk allergy, best to keep Dubai chocolate goodies out of your home unless its p