ASCIA Dietary Guide - Peanut Allergy

This document has been developed by ASCIA, the peak professional body of clinical immunology/allergy specialists in Australia and New Zealand. ASCIA information is based on published literature and expert review, is not influenced by commercial organisations and is not intended to replace medical advice. For patient or carer support contact Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia or Allergy New Zealand.

ASCIA Dietary Avoidance for Food Allergy FAQ should be used with the ASCIA dietary guide for peanut allergy.

ASCIA PC Dietary Avoidance Food Allergy FAQ 2023273.67 KB

ASCIA PC Dietary Guide for Peanut Allergy 202398.41 KB

Peanuts can be found in a variety of foods including cereals, muesli bars, and bakery items. Avoiding peanut is essential for people with confirmed peanut allergy.

The following foods CONTAIN peanut and should be avoided:

Arachis oil	Monkey nuts	Peanut flour
Beer nuts	Nu-nuts	Peanut oil (cold pressed, expelled or extruded)
Goober nuts	Nutmeat	Peanut sauce
Groundnuts	Peanut	Peanut sprouts
Madelonas	Peanut butter	Satay
Mixed nuts	Peanut brittle	Renflakes

Check labels on the following foods to see if they contain peanut and if they do, avoid them:

African dishes	Dukkah	Pastries
Asian/Indian dishes	Flavourings (natural or artificial)	Pesto
Baked goods	Fried food (peanut oil)	Praline
Biscuits	Gravy	Rocky road
Breakfast cereal	Health food bars	Salad/salad dressing
Cakes, slices	Hydrolysed/textured vegetable protein	Sauces
Chocolates	Ice cream	Snack foods
Chocolate spreads/paste	Marzipan	Soup
Confectionary/some Indian confectionary	Mexican dishes	Stuffing
Curry paste	Nougat	Takeaway/restaurant food
Crackers	Pasta sauces	Vegetarian foods
Dried fruit mixes/trail mix

Most people with peanut allergy can tolerate other legumes such as beans, pulses, peas and lentils. Nutmeg, water chestnuts and coconuts are not related to peanuts.

Highly refined peanut oils are unlikely to cause a reaction in people with a peanut allergy. Avoid peanut oil which is cold pressed, expressed or expelled.

Peanut oil can be in cosmetics, shampoos and moisturisers. Ingredient names include arachis oil, sodium peanutate and peanutamide. People that are highly allergic should avoid products with these ingredients.

"May contain traces of peanuts" on a label indicates that the food is made in a facility that makes other foods containing peanuts. The raw ingredients may be contaminated with peanuts, however the food does not have peanuts as an ingredient. A clinical immunology/allergy specialist will advise if these foods should be avoided.

Unlabelled food and food consumed outside the home has a higher allergy risk than food labelled as possibly containing traces of peanuts.

Prepared unlabelled food (such as those from cake shops, food malls and restaurants) may contain or be contaminated with peanuts.

These food lists are not exhaustive. People with food allergy should check food labels each time products are purchased.

Content updated 2019

Format updated June 2023

For more information go to www.allergy.org.au/patients/food-allergy and

www.allergy.org.au/patients/food-other-adverse-reactions

To support allergy and immunology research go to www.allergyimmunology.org.au/donate