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Which nuts count as tree nuts on a food label?

The EU names eight tree nuts, the US twelve. Almond is on 43,612 products in Open Food Facts; coconut, on 33,931, is a tree nut on no list.

By Bravoora teamPublished Sources checked 7 min read

Tree nuts and coconut on food labelsProducts in Open Food Facts that list each name (or a kind of it)On the EU’s list of eightOn no allergen listAlmond: 43,612, On the EU’s list of eightAlmond43,612Coconut: 33,931, On no allergen listCoconut33,931Hazelnut: 26,097, On the EU’s list of eightHazelnut26,097Cashew nuts: 14,546, On the EU’s list of eightCashew nuts14,546Walnut: 9,196, On the EU’s list of eightWalnut9,196Pecan nut: 6,862, On the EU’s list of eightPecan nut6,862Pistachio nuts: 6,007, On the EU’s list of eightPistachio nuts6,007Macadamia nut: 1,796, On the EU’s list of eightMacadamia nut1,796Brazil nut: 1,791, On the EU’s list of eightBrazil nut1,791Open Food Facts, read 13 Oct 2026 (ODbL)
Coconut is on more products than every tree nut but almond, and is a tree nut on no allergen list. Data: Open Food Facts (ODbL), read 13 October 2026.

Key takeaways

  • Open Food Facts finds a tree nut in 84,197 products; almond leads (43,612), then hazelnut (26,097) and cashew nuts (14,546).
  • The EU and UK list names eight nuts by species; the US list has named 12 since January 2025, and a US label must name the nut, such as almonds.
  • Coconut is on 33,931 products, more than any tree nut but almond, and is not a tree nut on the EU, UK, US or Gulf list. The US took it off in January 2025.
  • Chestnut (1,680 products) is not one of the EU’s eight; peanut (32,122) is a legume, declared as its own allergen.
  • The “may contain” field names tree nuts on 117,647 product records, 2.9 times as many as name them in the recipe (41,106).

The short answer

The EU names eight tree nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios and macadamias. The US has named 12 since January 2025. Almond is on the most products in Open Food Facts (43,612). Coconut, on 33,931, is a tree nut on none of these lists, and peanut is a legume with its own entry.

Which nuts does each allergen list name?

The EU and UK list names eight nuts by species: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, and macadamia or Queensland nuts, with the products made from them[1]. The US list has named 12 since January 2025, when the FDA cut its longer list down and took coconut off it[2][3].

A US label must name the type of nut, such as almonds or pecans, not just “tree nuts”[4]. EU and UK labels name the nut in the ingredient list and emphasise it.

Tree nuts on the allergen lists (from Bravoora’s tree-nut guide)
MarketThe tree-nut rule
European Union and UK8 named nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamias[1]
United States12 named nuts since January 2025; coconut removed[2]
Gulf (GSO 9)Tree nuts must be declared[2]

Which tree nuts are on the most products?

Almond, on 43,612 products, then hazelnut (26,097) and cashew nuts (14,546)[5]. Pecan nut is the most American of the eight: 69% of its products are sold in the US. Hazelnut is the most French: 46% are sold in France.

Bravoora’s dictionary has 49 names in its tree-nut family, each with its own page[6].

The EU’s eight named tree nuts by the products that list them in Open Food Facts (read 13 October 2026)
NutProductsOf them sold in the USMost often in
Almond43,61216,600Biscuits and cakes
Hazelnut26,0972,376Sweets
Cashew nuts14,5466,601Nuts
Walnut9,1963,331Biscuits and cakes
Pecan nut6,8624,718Biscuits and cakes
Pistachio nuts6,0071,532Nuts
Macadamia nut1,796885Nuts
Brazil nut1,791690Nuts

Why are coconut and chestnut not tree nuts on a label?

Because no list names them. The US took coconut off its list in January 2025, and it was never on the EU, UK or Gulf lists[2]. It is on 33,931 products in Open Food Facts, more than every tree nut but almond, and coconut oil, filed apart from it, is on 33,791[5].

Chestnut is not one of the eight nuts the EU names[1], and Bravoora’s tree-nut guide does not list it. Open Food Facts lists chestnut on 1,680 products, 1,330 of them sold in France[5].

Other names only sound like nuts. Peanut, on 32,122 products, is a legume, declared as its own allergen[7]; nutmeg (13,448 products), water chestnut (888) and butternut squash (1,369) are not on any allergen list[8].

Where do tree nuts hide?

In pastes and sweets. Hazelnut paste is on 4,481 products, most often in sweets, then chocolate, and hazelnut praline on 732[5]. Almond paste, sold as marzipan, is on 1,195[9], and gianduja is hazelnut and chocolate[10].

Pine nuts are on 2,273 products, most often dressings and sauces (853): pesto is usually made with them[2]. They are not among the EU’s eight, but Bravoora’s tree-nut guide counts them, and Bravoora reads them as a tree nut.

How often do packs warn of tree nuts?

  • Open Food Facts’ allergens field names tree nuts on 41,106 product records; its “may contain” field names them on 117,647, 2.9 times as many[5].
  • Of the EU’s eight, seven are on fewer products than coconut: hazelnut, cashew nuts, walnut, pecan nut, pistachio nuts, macadamia nut and Brazil nut[5].
  • Pecan nut: 4,718 of its 6,862 products are sold in the US; hazelnut: 12,024 of 26,097 in France[5].

Method: product counts from the Open Food Facts export, read on 13 October 2026[5]; the nuts from Bravoora’s dictionary[6] and, for pine nuts, chestnut, peanut and almond paste, the same export. A product counts under a nut when its list names it or a more specific kind of it, in any language. Contains information from Open Food Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL)[11].

Which words on a label mean a tree nut?

  • Almond, hazelnut, cashew nuts, walnut, pecan nut, pistachio nuts, macadamia nut and Brazil nut: the EU’s eight, by species.
  • Marzipan, almond paste, frangipane: almonds. Praline, gianduja, hazelnut paste: hazelnuts.
  • Pine nuts: a tree nut in Bravoora’s guide, and the base of most pesto.
  • Nut milks and nut butters, such as almond butter: nuts in another form.
  • Coconut, nutmeg, water chestnut, butternut squash: not tree nuts on any list.
  • Peanut, groundnut, arachis oil: peanut, a separate allergen.

How do you check a label for tree nuts in 30 seconds?

  1. Read the emphasised words (EU, UK) or the “Contains” line (US): each nut is named by species.
  2. Look for the pastes and sweets: marzipan, praline, nougat, gianduja, frangipane.
  3. Read the sauces: pesto usually means pine nuts.
  4. Read the “may contain” line too: it names tree nuts more often than any other allergen.
  5. Paste the list into the label checker to catch a name you missed.

How does Bravoora check a label for tree nuts?

Bravoora reads each nut by name, and the pastes and sweets made from them, in the ingredient list and in the “may contain” line, and shows the printed word with its meaning: “gianduja = hazelnut”. For Daniel, whose profile avoids tree nuts, the pine nuts in a pesto give “Not for Daniel”; coconut is not counted as a tree nut, in line with the US, EU, UK and Gulf lists. The methodology shows how it is tested.

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Scope and limits

This article counts tree nuts in Open Food Facts, a database its contributors fill in from real packs: it covers the products in it, not every product on sale, and a count is not a market share.

Rules covered: the EU and UK list of eight nuts, the US list of 12 since January 2025 and the Gulf rule, as Bravoora’s tree-nut guide sets them out. Sources were checked on the dates listed below.

This is general label information, not medical advice. An allergy to one tree nut does not always mean an allergy to the others; with a diagnosis, follow your clinician’s plan.

Frequently asked questions

Is coconut a tree nut?

Not on a food label. The US took coconut off its tree nut list in January 2025, and it is not one on the EU, UK or Gulf lists either. It is on 33,931 products in Open Food Facts.

Is a peanut a tree nut?

No. A peanut is a legume, and every major allergen list declares it as its own allergen, apart from tree nuts.

Are pine nuts tree nuts?

They are not among the eight nuts the EU names, but Bravoora’s tree-nut guide counts them, and pesto is usually made with them. Open Food Facts lists pine nuts on 2,273 products.

Is chestnut a tree nut on a label?

Chestnut is not one of the eight nuts the EU names, and Bravoora’s tree-nut guide does not list it. Open Food Facts lists it on 1,680 products, most of them sold in France.

Sources

  1. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (Article 21 and Annex II)European Union (EUR-Lex)Official Journal L 304, 22 November 2011; applies from 13 December 2014checked
  2. Tree nuts on food labels: other names and where they hideBravooraReviewed 25 October 2026checked
  3. Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergen Labeling (Edition 5)US Food and Drug AdministrationJanuary 2025checked
  4. Do the allergen labeling requirements of the FD&C Act provide specific direction for declaring the presence of ingredients from the three food groups that are designated as “major food allergens” (i.e., tree nuts, fish, and Crustacean shellfish)?US Food and Drug Administration (FDA Basics for Industry)checked
  5. Open Food Facts: product database, 4,535,553 products (1,284,867 with an ingredient list)Open Food Facts contributors (ODbL)Product export read 13 October 2026checked
  6. Ingredients that contain tree nuts: 49 names on food labelsBravooraUpdated 13 October 2026checked
  7. Peanuts on food labels: other names and where they hideBravooraReviewed 11 October 2026checked
  8. Bravoora ingredient dictionary: 2,502 food ingredients from A to ZBravooraUpdated 13 October 2026checked
  9. Marzipan on a food label: it means almondsBravooraReviewed 13 October 2026checked
  10. Gianduja on a food label: it means hazelnutsBravooraReviewed 13 October 2026checked
  11. Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0Open Data Commonschecked

Change log

  1. First published.

How we write and check articles

Ingredient guides for this topic

AllergenTree nutsAlmonds, cashews, walnuts and the rest — and the sweets they hide inside.Read the guideAllergenMarzipanAlmonds and sugar, ground to a paste. On a label, marzipan means almonds.Read the guideAllergenGiandujaChocolate blended with hazelnut paste. On a label, gianduja means hazelnuts.Read the guideAllergenPeanutsA legume, not a tree nut, and one of the most common food allergens.Read the guide

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