Originally Posted by
RevolverRob
So, I'm allergic to bananas* and strawberries*. Initially, it was thought to be some enzyme in them - but it turns out it isn't those foods I'm allergic to. It's the pollen in the areas where they are grown. The way those plants are pollinated and where they grow results in cross-contamination of pollen from things I am allergic to. There is now a growing body of evidence that this is what's going on when folks are allergic to these foods. I'm also "allergic" to prickly pear.
South American grown bananas and strawberries from the southwestern US (not California) do not cause me to have an allergic reaction. Anything grown isolated in a greenhouse does not give me an allergic reaction. Many organic forms do not cause me to have allergic reactions, but some do, because "organic" is now a generic term.