Serve packaged nuts only when you have confirmed that no guest needs to avoid peanuts or tree nuts, and the current pack suits everyone’s other disclosed food requirements. If a guest needs to avoid nuts, choose a different snack format and check its exact ingredients and precautionary allergen warnings with them before serving. GOV.UK lists peanuts and tree nuts separately in its UK allergen guidance; a general “Free From” label does not tell you which of those allergens a product addresses.
Find out whether the guest avoids peanuts, tree nuts or both. Choose a different shared snack format, then check its current pack against the guest’s requirements rather than assuming the format makes it suitable.
A snack may meet one requirement without meeting another. If guests avoid nuts alongside gluten, milk or eggs, check each relevant declaration on the exact product.
Once you have confirmed that nobody needs to avoid peanuts or tree nuts, check the chosen flavour and pack for any other relevant allergens. KP Original Salted Peanuts, for example, contains peanuts and carries a warning for other nuts, milk, soya and gluten.
Choose when: No guest needs to avoid peanuts or tree nuts, and the selected pack fits everyone’s other disclosed requirements.
Limitation: Nuts cannot be the shared snack for a guest who must avoid the allergen they contain; a peanut pack may also warn of possible contact with tree nuts.
Choose when: A guest needs to avoid nut ingredients and you can check a specific packaged alternative against their requirements.
Limitation: A retailer’s nut-free category can help you browse, but its category name cannot replace the current pack’s allergen information.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Exact nut allergen | Check the ingredients for peanuts and the relevant tree nuts separately. Read the declaration on the pack you intend to serve. | Someone in the group avoids peanuts, tree nuts or both; I need to know which before choosing a shared snack. |
| Free-from claim | Identify the allergen named by the claim. Check for product-specific warnings as well: M&S marks one wheat-free, gluten-free shortbread as unsuitable for people with nut or peanut allergy. | I’m shopping for more than one food requirement, so a gluten-free or milk-free label alone will not settle the nut question. |
| Precautionary warning | Read “may contain” and manufacturing-method statements as well as the ingredients. The Food Standards Agency describes precautionary allergen labelling as a warning that an allergen could be unintentionally present. | Even when nuts are not listed as ingredients, I need the affected guest to assess any relevant warning against their own allergy-management advice. |
| Current packaging | Check the physical pack before serving rather than relying on a previous purchase or an online listing. KP, Sainsbury’s and M&S advise shoppers to check current product information. | I want guests to be able to read the label for themselves, so I’ll keep the packaging with the snack. |
| Preparation format | Consider whether a sealed, labelled product offers the information the guest needs. Sainsbury’s says it cannot guarantee allergen absence in several of its in-store prepared-food departments. | If someone has an allergy, I would rather check a specific packaged snack than assume a loose or counter-served option is suitable. |
Being free from one ingredient does not remove the nuts in a nut snack. KP Original Salted Peanuts contains peanuts and warns that it may contain other nuts, milk, soya and gluten.
Ask which allergens guests avoid before shopping. If a guest needs to avoid nuts, choose a different snack format and check its own label.
Free From ranges cover different requirements. M&S Made Without Wheat All Butter Shortbread is gluten-free but marked unsuitable for people with nut or peanut allergy.
Match the product’s specific claim and warnings to the allergen the guest avoids, rather than relying on the aisle or range name.
Sainsbury’s says it cannot guarantee allergen absence in several of its in-store prepared-food areas. An apparently suitable food type does not resolve uncertainty about preparation.
For a guest with an allergy, start with a sealed product whose current label they can assess, unless they have confirmed another option is suitable.
The label relevant to this game night is the one on the product being served. KP, Sainsbury’s and M&S advise checking current ingredients and allergen information.
Read the pack when buying and again before serving, and leave it available for guests to inspect.
These examples show where to look for snack options or allergen information; a retailer range or brand name does not establish that an individual product suits a guest.
A reference for packaged peanut snacks when the group has confirmed it does not need to avoid nuts.
Its nut-free browsing category includes alternatives to nut snacks.
Its product labels distinguish named free-from claims from warnings about other allergens.
Its Free From area can help shoppers browse alternatives for different food requirements.
An example of why an unsalted peanut snack is still a peanut product.
These sweets and savoury snacks offer formats other than packaged nuts for a board game table. None should be treated as suitable for a particular allergy from its name or format alone: check the current pack with the affected guest before sharing.
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A 125g bag of jelly sweets for a shared sweet option instead of nuts. Check the pack’s ingredients and precautionary warnings for every allergen your guests avoid.
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A 132g bag of fruit-flavoured sweets for a shared sweet option. “Vegan” does not answer a nut-allergy question; read the current pack before serving.
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A 125g savoury snack option for the table. If guests also avoid cereals or sesame, check those declarations alongside peanut and tree-nut information on the current pack.
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A 160g savoury pretzel mix rather than a nut snack. Check the exact pack for nut warnings and any other allergens relevant to the group.
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A 152g bag of citrus-flavoured sweets for a shared sweet option. Check the current pack for the specific allergens guests avoid; a vegan description does not replace an allergen check.
No. GOV.UK’s UK allergen guidance lists peanuts and tree nuts separately; its tree-nut examples include almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts. Ask the affected guest which they need to avoid, then check the specific snack.
No. Check which allergen the claim names and read the product’s other warnings. Tesco’s Free From area covers several requirements, while M&S labels a gluten-free, wheat-free shortbread as unsuitable for people with nut or peanut allergy.
Treat it as relevant information for the guest who avoids nuts, not as an assurance that the snack is suitable. The Food Standards Agency describes precautionary allergen labelling as a warning that an allergen could be unintentionally present; the affected guest should assess the exact wording against their own allergy-management advice.
Check the physical pack you will serve. KP, Sainsbury’s and M&S advise checking current ingredients and allergen information, so read both the ingredient list and precautionary statements before the game night.
Do not assume they are suitable. Sainsbury’s says it cannot guarantee allergen absence in several of its in-store prepared-food areas; for a guest with an allergy, choose an option they can assess using the available product and preparation information.