Always read ingredients and check with the manufacturer if you are not sure if something contains tree nuts, and avoid the food until you are sure.

Foods or ingredients that definitely are or contain tree nuts:

• All tree nuts, including almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, filberts (hazelnuts), hickory nuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts (pinon or pignoli), pistachios, nan-gai nuts, beech nut, butternut (a species of walnut), chestnut, coconut, ginko nut, lichee nut, pili nut, sheanut
• Artificial nuts could be peanuts that have been deflavored and reflavored with a nut, such as pecan or walnut
• Nut meal
• Nut butters
• Nut extracts
• Nut oils
• Nut meat
• Marzipan (almond paste)
• Pesto (made with pine nuts)
• Gianduja (a mixture of chocolate and nuts found in some chocolate)
• Mandelonas (peanuts soaked in almond flavoring)
• Nougat
• Pralines

Ingredients that may contain tree nuts:

• Natural and artificial flavoring
• Lecithin (soy lecithin is nut-free)

Things to watch out for:

• Baked goods such as cakes, muffins, cookies, pastries
• Cereals, muesli, trail mix, granola and granola bars cereal bars
• Crackers
• Caponata (an Sicilian relish that may contain pine nuts)
• Mortadella (a sausage that sometimes contains pistachio)
• Asian food
• Ice creams
• Salads
• Sauces (such as barbecue)
• Cheese spreads
• Candy and chocolate
• Beanbags or hackysacks may be filled with stuffing made from crushed nut shells
• Cosmetics, lotions and hair products with nut oils

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA), mandates that foods labeled on or after January 2006 must declare nuts in plain language either on the ingredient list or by using the words “Contains” and then the specific nut that is used. Foods that were labeled before January 2006 are not subject to this law, so read ingredients carefully.