Papa Murphy's Sweet Chili Sauce

Yes, Papa Murphy's Sweet Chili Sauce is rated high, and it is flagged as a histamine liberator. The sweet chili base, along with the jalapeno and vinegar in it, is what pushes it there, even though a sauce like this does not look like an obvious problem food.

Why papa murphy's sweet chili sauce is rated high

This is the kind of food that confuses people. A sweet chili sauce is not aged or cured, so it is not loaded with histamine the way a fermented food is. Its problem is different: it is tagged as a liberator, meaning it can prompt your body to let go of histamine it already has stored. The validated scoring rates the sweet chili sauce base itself as high, with the jalapeno and the vinegar each sitting at moderate and stacking on top. The rest of the recipe, water, sugar, modified food starch, salt, dehydrated garlic, spices, xanthan gum, and citric acid, is mostly along for the ride.

What changes your risk

• The sweet chili base sets the level: the sauce as a whole is scored high, so anything it is spread on inherits that rating no matter what else is on the pizza.
• Jalapeno adds heat and a second hit: chili pepper is rated moderate on its own, and for a liberator-type sauce the pepper is part of why people feel it.
• Vinegar stacks on top: the vinegar in the recipe is a moderate contributor in its own right, so the sauce is carrying three flagged components at once.
• How much is on the pizza: a sauce that is layered generously covers the whole pie, while a thin layer means less of the liberator in every bite.
• Sitting time is not the issue: this is a low-protein sauce, so how long it waits at the counter is not what drives the rating. The ingredients are.

Lower-histamine alternatives

There is no lower sauce to point to at Papa Murphy's within the published facts, but the lower-histamine components the chain lists are Chicken, Onion Mix, and Zesty Herb Blend. Those are the items to lean on if you want flavor without a liberator sauce on the pie.

How to lower the risk

Papa Murphy's is build-to-order, so the sauce is a choice rather than a given. If you are trying to keep a pizza lower, build it around Chicken, Onion Mix, and Zesty Herb Blend and skip adding Sweet Chili Sauce as a topping or base. Once the sauce is on, the whole pizza is a high item.

Common questions

Is sweet chili sauce high in histamine?

Papa Murphy's version is rated high and tagged as a histamine liberator. The sweet chili base is the main driver, with jalapeno and vinegar adding to it.

What is a histamine liberator, and why does it matter for a sauce?

A liberator is a food that can prompt your body to release its own stored histamine, even if the food itself is not full of histamine. That is why a fresh-tasting sauce like this can still be flagged high.

Is it the jalapeno or the vinegar that is the problem?

Both contribute. Chili pepper and vinegar are each rated moderate, but the sweet chili sauce base as a whole is scored high, so it is the combination that lands it where it is.

What are the lower-histamine options at Papa Murphy's?

The published lower items are Chicken, Onion Mix, and Zesty Herb Blend.