Information › Allergies › Tree nuts
Nut allergy and nut-free shopping
By ‘nuts’ the allergen law means tree nuts: almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan, Brazil nut, pistachio and macadamia. Peanut is officially a legume and is listed separately. Coconut and nutmeg are not nuts in this sense.
At a glance
- Kind
- Legal allergen (EU)
- On the label
- In bold in the ingredient list
- Also as
- amandel, hazelnoot, walnoot, cashew, cashewnoten…
- Without tree nuts
- 23.120 products
- Supermarkets
- AH, Jumbo, PLUS, Dirk and Hoogvliet
Recognise
On the label as
- amandel
- hazelnoot
- walnoot
- cashew
- cashewnoten
- pistache
- pistachenoten
- pecan
- pecannoten
- macadamia
- paranoot
- marsepein
- Every nut has to be named in bold; ‘noten’ (nuts) as a collective name is not allowed.
- ‘Kan sporen van noten bevatten’ (may contain traces of nuts) is very common on chocolate, biscuits, cereals and muesli; it is a factory warning, not an ingredient.
- Marsepein (marzipan), praliné, nougat, pesto and amandelspijs (almond paste) are nuts by definition.
Shopping
Examples without tree nuts
- Côte d'Or ChokotoffCôte d'Or · 500 gAlbert Heijn € 7,99Jumbo € 7,99Bevat: Koemelk, Lactose, Melk, Soja
- Ferrero Mon cheriFerrero · 105 gAlbert Heijn € 5,19Bevat: SojaKan sporen bevatten: Koemelk, Lactose, Melk
- Pittige borrelmixHoogvliet · 400 gHoogvliet € 4,99Bevat: Gluten, Pinda, Soja
- AH Excellent Genovese pestoAH Excellent · 135 gAlbert Heijn € 2,79Bevat: Koemelk, Lactose, Melk
- Rummo Pesto Calabrese 190 gRummo · 190 gJumbo € 3,59Bevat: Koemelk, Lactose, Melk
- AH Terra Plantaardige pesto rossoAH Terra · 190 gAlbert Heijn € 1,89Bevat: Soja
All 23.120 products without tree nuts
What to look out for in the shop
- Turn on the option to hide ‘may contain’ if traces are a risk: it roughly halves the biscuits and chocolate you see, and rightly so.
- Watch for nut oils in cosmetics and ‘arachideolie’ (peanut oil) in baked goods.
- Allergic to one nut only? Filter on that nut instead of all nuts.
Good to know
Recently with tree nuts in the recipe (8)These products recently took tree nuts onto their label: the recipe changed. This is exactly where reading the label matters most.
Cross-contamination and “may contain traces”‘Kan sporen van noten bevatten’ is printed on a large share of biscuits, chocolate, muesli and cereals.
‘Kan sporen van noten bevatten’ is printed on a large share of biscuits, chocolate, muesli and cereals. For many people with a nut allergy that is a real risk, because it can mean whole pieces rather than a trace. Hiding ‘may contain’ is often the right setting here.
Symptoms and when to see a doctorA nut allergy often reacts fast: itching in mouth and throat, swelling, hives, vomiting, and in severe cases breathing difficulty or anaphylaxis.
Short of breath, a swelling tongue or throat, or dizzy after eating? Use the adrenaline auto-injector if one has been prescribed and call 112 straight away. Even if it then seems to get better.
A nut allergy often reacts fast: itching in mouth and throat, swelling, hives, vomiting, and in severe cases breathing difficulty or anaphylaxis. Anyone prescribed an adrenaline auto-injector carries it at all times.
Is coconut a nut?
Not for the allergen law: coconut does not count as a nut and need not be in bold. Most people with a nut allergy tolerate coconut, but discuss it with your doctor.
Is nutmeg a nut?
No, nutmeg is a seed, not a tree nut. It is not a legal allergen.
Is candlenut (kemiri) a nut?
Candlenut, kemiri in Dutch and Indonesian, is the nut of the candlenut tree. It is used mostly in Indonesian dishes: boemboe, rendang, sambal and bapao. It is not on the legal list of nuts, so a manufacturer need not declare it as a nut allergen. Some do, others do not. A product with kemiri can therefore appear in our nut-free lists, which follow the allergens on the label. With a nut allergy, read the ingredient list itself and ask your doctor whether kemiri is a risk for you.
Can I eat peanut with a nut allergy?
Peanut is a legume and is listed separately. Some people are allergic to both, others to one. Your doctor decides that with a test; filter on both if needed.
What this site does and does not do
We read the ingredient list and the allergen declaration as the supermarket publishes them, and hide every product that contains the allergen. Products without allergen information are hidden by default too: unknown is not the same as safe. What we cannot do is read the pack in the shop. Recipes change, and the information here can lag behind. When in doubt the label in your hand decides, and for questions about your health your doctor or dietitian.
Other allergens
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II: the fourteen allergens that must be on the label.
- The ingredient lists and allergen declarations of Albert Heijn, Jumbo, PLUS, Dirk and Hoogvliet, re-read every week.
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