UK Food


Q. Are there any other names for peanuts?

You may see any of the following used for peanuts:

It is important to be aware of this if other people check food for you.


Q. Which supermarkets are good to shop at?

The consensus on the board is that Sainsbury's and M&S are good places to shop, with clear labelling and sparing use of 'may contain nuts'.  Waitrose also gets an honourable mention.


Q. How can I tell if food is safe or not?

Any pre-packaged food sold in the EU must declare any trace of 12 highly allergic ingredients.  These include nuts, peanuts, and soya.  Therefore if the food you buy has any allergen labelling at all and doesn't mention nuts, you can rest assured that it is safe.

Make sure you give everything you purchase at least a cursory glance, and look more closely at new food or old food that has changed packaging; they may have also changed factories or manufacturing techniques.

Riskier foods include desserts.  Since many desserts contain nuts then there is a higher risk of cross-contamination, so be sure to examine labels there carefully.

In-store bakeries are often unsafe for the same reason.  The food may not be specifically labelled though, so look for a warning sign in the shop or talk to the baker if unsure.

If you have other foods you want to ask about, try posting in the Food forum.


Q. What about eating out?

It depends on your comfort zone whether you feel safe eating out at all.  Some people avoid eating out at all, others rely on local eateries where they can talk to the owner about the issue, others are willing to try restaurants.

If you're making reservations, let them know about the issue so you can see if you can be accommodated.  Be warned that many people have been 'peanutted' through waiters picking nuts off desserts, cross-contamination of foods, etc. So if you are going to do this, make clear exactly how life-threatening your allergy is.

Do not rely on your waiter to know which foods contain peanuts - talk to the chef if at all possible.

You can discuss safe places to eat out on the Food forum


Q. What about sweets?

Various sweet companies produce 'nut-free' lists.  Have a look at the 'Sweets' thread in the Food forum here.


Q. I want food that's guaranteed nut-free

Have a look at some of the nut-free suppliers in our Recommended Links section.


Q. I have other questions that aren't answered here or disagree with the answers above.

Please feel free to join the forum to ask new questions or email me here.    I can't provide medical advice but will try to add any additional questions to this page.

If you think the answers above are wrong, please cite a journal reference or a reputable webpage to substantiate your comments.