What is the difference between tree nuts and peanuts?
Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts (filberts), macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts (pignolias), pistachio nuts and walnuts are all considered tree nuts. Peanuts are part of the legume family and are not considered a tree nut.
How can I know if a food contains tree nuts or peanuts?
- Read product ingredient labels carefully to make sure they don’t list any source of tree nuts or peanuts in the food. Often, different names are used for tree nuts and peanuts. See the Health Canada fact sheets found at the websites below for other common names to watch for on ingredient lists. Avoid foods and products that do not have an ingredient list.
- Manufacturers may occasionally change their recipes or use different ingredients so read labels every time you shop.
- Be cautious of bulk food items as they may be contaminated with trace amounts of nuts.
Watch out for allergen cross contamination Cross contamination is the transfer of an ingredient (food allergen) to a product that does not normally have that ingredient in it. Through
cross contamination, a food that should not contain the allergen could become dangerous to eat for those who are allergic.
Cross contamination can happen:
During food manufacturing through shared production and packaging equipment;
At retail through shared equipment, e.g., cheese and deli meats sliced on the same slicer; and through bulk display of food products, e.g., bins of baked goods, bulk nuts;
During food preparation at home or in restaurants through equipment, utensils and hands. For example, if the knife used to put peanut butter on toast at breakfast is also used to make a sandwich for lunch, without being washed well, the sandwich may have traces of peanuts and would be unsafe to send to a peanut aware school or child care setting.
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