A WOMAN hospitalised after suffering a violent allergic reaction to a fish pie is calling on a supermarket giant to better label its products.

Michelle Patterson, who is allergic to cod, was rushed to Airedale General Hospital by paramedics after unwittingly consuming it.

The 55-year-old says the label on the pie bought from Keighley’s Morrisons store made no mention of cod. But the Bradford-based company said cod was classed as “whitefish” – and the label did specify that the pie contained this type of fish.

Ms Patterson, a mother of six who has a secondhand goods business, said: “If they’d apologised and told me they’d review their labelling policy I’d have dropped it. But instead they interrogated me over the phone and made out that it was my fault. I’ve known I’m allergic to cod since I was 11. I’m 55 now, and I’ve managed to avoid this happening all these years until now, so I know what I’m doing.”

The ingredients label of the pie she bought from Morrisons listed “salmon, haddock, smoked fish and whitefish”.

Ms Patterson, of Keighley, said she had understood for many years that whitefish in this type of food was usually from fish such as pollock and hake, so was not concerned. But when she began eating the pie at home, she started feeling unwell after only four mouthfuls. She said: “I had crippling stomach ache, difficulty breathing and I felt dizzy and sick – though I couldn’t be sick because my throat was swelling up. I couldn’t even stand up.”

Ms Patterson was examined at Airedale Hospital that night and allowed to go home the following morning. She took extra powerful antihistamines for three days, and was given adrenaline medication in case of further allergic reactions.

She said that when she contacted Morrisons a few days after the incident she was asked for proof that the pie had come from the supermarket then offered a £5 refund for the food, which she argued completely missed the point she was trying to make.

She said: “It was never about the money, which I made quite clear when I phoned Morrisons. They should be labelling exactly what is in each product, regardless of what it is, so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

A Morrisons spokesman said: “We are sorry to hear about Ms Patterson’s allergic reaction. Cod is a whitefish, and the label clearly states that the fish pie includes whitefish.”