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Peanut allergy and tree nut allergy when eating out

Published 23 October 2026

Peanut and tree nuts are two of the 14 allergens a food business must tell you about. Annex II lists “peanuts and products thereof” on its own, then almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts and macadamia or Queensland nuts, and products of those. The technical guidance, for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the consumer advice list them separately. This page is for a menu that only says “nuts”. Satay and groundnut oil are in eating out with a peanut allergy. This page does not decide whether you must avoid both.

The peanut entry says peanuts are a legume and grow underground, also called groundnut. The nuts entry, also labelled tree nuts, says not to mistake them for peanuts, and it names those eight. “Nuts” on its own does not say which, or whether peanut was included. Walnut off a salad is not peanut out of a sauce. The guides for a peanut allergy when eating out and a tree nut allergy when eating out stay separate, and both names are in the 14 allergens UK restaurants must declare.

Which nuts the rules name

On prepacked food, the type of nut must be emphasised. A derived ingredient needs a clear reference, such as “flavourings (almond)”, unless an exemption applies. Annex II excepts nuts used for alcoholic distillates, and the guidance names spirits such as vodka or whisky. That is a labelling rule for a process, not a decision that a drink is suitable. Ask what is in the glass.

Chestnuts, pine nuts and coconut are not in the rules, though people call them nuts, and they must not be emphasised as tree nuts. The guidance says they are known to cause allergy in some people. Name one if you avoid it. “No tree nuts” can still leave pine nut or coconut in the dish. Whether you avoid them is for your doctor and your plan.

Reading a menu or a matrix

For food that is not prepacked, best practice is written allergen information and a conversation. A matrix is one of the formats. The legal minimum is still any accurate answer, with a sign if it is spoken. In words, name the specific nut, as you would name the cereal for gluten. One symbol may cover every tree nut, but staff should still say which. A tick under “nuts” has not split almond from hazelnut, and it has not answered peanut.

On a label the word must be peanuts, because that is the Annex II term. Groundnut and monkey nut are other names for the same food, but groundnut is easy to confuse with ground almonds, or with a mix of nuts and peanuts. If the menu says groundnut, ask them to confirm peanut. If it says ground almonds, treat it as almond unless they say peanut is mixed in.

Oils, flours, pastes and sauces

The peanut entry names biscuits, cakes, curries, desserts, satay, groundnut oil and peanut flour. The technical guidance says refined and unrefined peanut oil must both refer to peanut. Unlike fully refined soybean oil, peanut has no such exception. Whether the oil matters for you is clinical. Ask which bottle is open. This is not clearance to eat food cooked in it.

The tree-nut entry names breads, biscuits, crackers, desserts, nut powders often used in Asian curries, stir-fried dishes, ice cream, marzipan (almond paste), nut oils and sauces. Ask. Do not assume every curry or every ice cream contains one. Allergy UK’s tree nut factsheet adds nut butters such as almond or cashew, and says gluten-free foods often contain almond meal, so ask if that meal is in the dish.

That factsheet lists pesto, and says it may contain other tree nuts as well as pine nuts. Pine nuts are not a regulated tree nut, so ask about both. It separates refined tree-nut oils from unrefined ones, including cold-pressed almond and walnut oil, which it says may contain enough protein to trigger a reaction if you are allergic to those nuts. Follow your plan, and ask which oil is in the dish. A refined oil is not permission.

Ask for each food by name

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, follow the consumer advice. In Scotland, follow Food Standards Scotland. Be clear, give examples, and ask about cross-contact from equipment, glazes, sauces and oils, and about any recipe change. The business must give allergen information. It need not invent a new dish. If you doubt that staff understand, do not eat there. There is a longer script in how to tell a restaurant about your food allergy.

• Is there peanut, groundnut, satay, groundnut oil or peanut flour in the dish, the sauce or the garnish?
• Which tree nut is in it: almond, hazelnut, walnut, cashew, pecan, Brazil nut, pistachio or macadamia (Queensland nut)?
• If there is one “nuts” column, which nut is it, and is peanut separate?
• Is there marzipan, a nut butter, nut powder, almond meal or a nut oil?
• Does the pesto contain pine nuts, a named tree nut, or both?

What “may contain” is, and what it is not

The consumer advice says “may contain” means an allergen may be present from cross-contamination, and that there is no specific legal requirement to print it. Food must still be safe. The technical guidance calls this voluntary precautionary allergen labelling, for a cross-contamination risk that cannot be avoided. Usual wording is “may contain” a named allergen, or “not suitable for someone with” that allergy.

The guidance says to use that wording only after a risk assessment finds a risk that segregation and cleaning cannot remove. It does not replace good hygiene, and using it with no real risk could mislead. No “may contain” line is not a free-from claim, so ask about the fryer.

“May contain nuts” does not warn about peanuts, because peanuts are legumes. Where both could be present, the example is “may contain peanuts and pistachio (nuts)”. Name the nut, such as hazelnut. Do not put “may contain” beside free-from for the same allergen: free-from means that allergen is absent. The consumer advice says vegan means no animal ingredient was used on purpose, so peanut and almond can still be ingredients.

On a meal cooked to order, consider cross-contact even when the allergen is not an ingredient, including a “may contain” warning on a bought-in sauce. Staff can say that out loud. A blank cell on a matrix is a question, not an answer.

Whether one allergy means avoiding the other

This page cannot say that you must avoid both, or that you may eat one. Allergy UK’s peanut factsheet says peanuts are a different plant family from tree nuts, and that a peanut allergy does not automatically mean a tree nut allergy. Ask your GP or allergy specialist. Its tree nut factsheet says the reverse as well. Some people react to one tree nut and some to several, where the proteins are similar. The business has to tell you about the legal list. You avoid what your own allergy action plan names.

If you think someone is having anaphylaxis, follow the NHS. Use an adrenaline auto-injector if they have one, as they were shown, following the instructions on the device, even if the symptoms are mild. Call 999 and say you think it is an anaphylactic reaction. Do not stand or walk, even if you feel better. Restaurant steps are in what to do in an allergic reaction. If this summary differs from the NHS page, follow the NHS page and that person’s plan.

How this sits on SafePlate

You can search for restaurants for a food allergy with peanut, tree nuts, or both, and you can search on the SafePlate homepage. Searching SafePlate is free. Unknown means no menu or visitor note mentions that food. It does not mean peanut was kept apart from almond. You still ask.

The same questions apply in Nottingham and Manchester. Those pages cover local inspections. Neither names a restaurant as safe.

The usable allergy chef card, in 38 languages, is part of SafePlate Plus. Plus fills it from your profile so you can show it or print it. The allergy chef card page is a preview unless you have Plus. You cannot fill that sample in, hand it over as yours, or print it.

Set up your foods before you search. This is not medical advice. Confirm the meal with the kitchen. In the UK, if you think someone is having anaphylaxis, call 999.