probably a stupid question about nut allergies....

[DumbledoresGirl]

does coconut count as a nut? ie would a child with a nut allergy be allergic to coconut too?

Coconut is a seed. Peanuts are not nuts either they are legummes like lentils and peas so if you are catering for someone who is allergic to peanuts they might be able to have nuts.

Thanks for answer savoy. I was asking because my children are not allowed to take nut products to school in their lunches because there is a child in the school with a severe nut allergy. But I am making cakes at the moment which I am going to dip in coconut later and I was wondering if they would be safe for my children to take to school.

If they are really allergic you have to still be careful though as things like grated coconut might have been packed or processed on the same machine as nuts so you might not be able to use it.

I am just making it worse now.....

x posted there. In my in-expert opinion that would be fine as the other child is not going to eat it.

OK, no, that is fair enough. I will leave the coconut of some cakes so they still have the option of taking one in to school.

off

Well, WRT the other child not eating it, we have been led to believe that this child could react even if someone was eating a nut product near him. So I had better err on the side of caution.

Officially coconut is not treated as a nut for allergy purposes (although it is of course possible to be allergic to it, just like anything else). So even with a peanut/tree nut allergic child coconut should be fine.

Having said that, it never hurts to check.

I have a SEVERE nut allergy.. to all nuts... but am able to eat Bounty's... yum!!! I don't really see them as a nut.... I have a lot of relatives with nuts allergies in my family (we also had exzema and asthma as kids... but outgrew that.. however our mothers used BP Castor Oil on our Exzema which contains Peanuts.. which has been thought could be a link to peanut allergy from the 70's).. anyway.. none of them allergic to coconut either x