List of Snacks Free of Peanuts, Tree Nuts and Eggs
Below you’ll find a link to our list of commonly available snacks that is continually updated throughout the year. The list is intended as a guide for schools, organizations, sports leagues, clubs, parties, play dates and other events where snacks may be brought in in the presence of people with allergies to peanuts, tree nuts and/or eggs. This list provides an effective tool for keeping the most egregious allergens out of the classroom and is referenced by many schools throughout the country.
We spend a great deal of time searching through products, checking labels and contacting manufacturers to keep this guide up to date. We think you’ll find it more useful than ever.
Based upon your feedback, we’ve recently made some important changes to the guide:
- We’ve added many products that are certified by their manufacturers as peanut, tree nut and egg free! These products are listed at the end of each category and carry our green check mark
insignia; - There are a number of new categories including Granola/Trail Mixes, Cakes/Muffins, Peanut Butter Alternatives and Chocolate – over eight pages of snack suggestions;
- Each list is now stamped with the date it was downloaded and an expiration date to ensure that you are always using a “fresh” copy.
Part of Your School’s Policy
Many schools have no policies regarding snacks in the classroom leaving children with food allergies at risk of contact reactions including anaphylaxis. Still others rely on lists that are old and outdated. We encourage schools to adopt our guide as part of their policies regarding food in the classroom.
We currently have two articles that can be used in conjunction with this guide to help drive school policy:
- Why Your Child Can’t Bring Peanut Butter to School (And What You Can Do About It) – This is a widely distributed open letter which describes the need for food bans in a non-confrontational manner. We encourage you to use it as a template for your child’s specific circumstances and ask the school to distribute it to fellow parents;
- A Mom’s Perspective: A Guide to Registering Your Food Allergic Child for Kindergarten – Even if your child is older, this article suggests many policies that should be adopted by schools to help protect food allergic children.
Subscribe to Updates!
We update this guide frequently and encourage you to subscribe via e-mail to make sure you don’t miss out on important product advisories, new additions or new features. Click here to subscribe.
Warning
Even though a great deal of time is invested researching and updating this guide, NEVER RELY SOLELY ON THIS GUIDE TO PROTECT A CHILD WITH FOOD ALLERGIES! You must continue to read food labels because manufacturers may change their ingredients and processes at any time. Note that current labeling guidelines do not require manufacturers to disclose traces of potential allergens that may be introduced as part of the manufacturing process! It is always up to the parent or guardian to make the final determination that a snack is safe for their child!
Click here to view/print the 2013 Safe Snack Guide
Viewing the Guide
Please note that the Guide is distributed in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format. If you don’t already have it, download a free copy of Acrobat Reader from the Adobe website by clicking here.
Thank you for this guide. I have twin baby girls and one has a nut allergy and the both have an egg allergy. This guide has been so helpful for us and daycare. Quick story, once we found out the girls had these allergies, we immediately notified daycare and gave them this guide. I found out she was feeding them animal crackers. When I asked to see the container it was Kirklands Organic Animal Crackers, and clearly said it did not contain nuts. However, being a paranoid first time mom, I called Kirkland and sure enough, they did not contain nuts, but they were produced at the same plant and same belt as their bulk nuts. I was floored but immediately called daycare and told her to stop feeding them the animal crackers immediately and to only feed them snacks that were listed on this guide. My question for you is, will you ever put out a guide for products like chicken nuggets, fish sticks, etc? I know that some of the breading can contain nuts and cross contimination and you do such a wonderful job on your snack guide, so I was just curious if you will ever branch out. Again, thank you so much for all you guys do!
Brit, thanks for your endorsement. We hope to expand our product coverage in the not too distant future. Stay tuned!
If you plan to expand this list, I would like to see it separated by allergin. Simply because not each person has the same allergins. This right now is a quick Peanut Tree nut free list as you add more allergins to this list the list becomes longer and harder to scan through … Thank you.
Thank you very much for compiling this list. It is an excellent resource. My son is peanut allergic and we were told to keep him away from all nuts as it is not a clean process. I look forward to you expanding this list. The only way that I see being able to break down each allergen as far as peanut, tree nut or sesame is by putting it into a spreadsheet with the allergens listed in columns. I see that some restaurants do this and it makes it much easier to identify what is safe. Thank you again for creating and maintaining this vital tool.
what about ice cream cones? what kind can I use are they all safe/not?
Please, Please, Please do not expand this list to include any more allergens. As a parent and aunt of 2 boys with these exact allergies it is wonderful to be able to have this many choices. If I am buying products for a gluten free or dairy free child that is going to eat with us I can narrow it down from this list myself. You are not going to be able to please everyone and if dairy or gluten free lists are needed, individuals or groups can start one themselves like you did or lists may be already available elsewhere. There is no way people who are using a dairy free or gluten free list right now would tolerate all of the peanut/tree nut contaminated items suddenly disappearing from that list. Our allergic children already turn down so many foods and we struggle so much to make it easy on other parents and teachers that it would be a tragedy to limit this list even further. As for the choices being “healthy” or not….there are personal definitions of that word which need to be decided by the person using the list, not the ones making it. Additionally, it would be outrageously unfair to your own child to suddenly have this list become dramatically shorter than what she can safely eat after you have put so much work into it. Your first responsibility is to protect your own child. That you chose to be generous and share this information to make other caregivers lives easier and other children safer will be forever appreciated. You are not responsible for making a list available that covers all top 8 allergens.
Thank you so much for this outstanding resource!
Lynn, we appreciate your endorsement! We are working on the means of accommodating the other FALCPA food allergens as well as sesame, mustard and gluten in the not-too-distant future. Rest assured that we will not diminish the span of our current list in the process!
Sesame would be a great one to add, because it is not “required” to be labeled.
yes – sesame would be such a help
Yes, please add sesame! It is so hard to find info on that, and my daughter is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and sesame seeds. It would be amazing to have that included. And thank you for what you do!
Yes, have to agree with the others sesame would be a HUGE help!
I so look foward to you guys possibly adding sesame and mustard. I happen to be allergic to both plus most tree nuts.
I just spoke with our school nurse as we are new to this process, she informed me that there are still quite a few items they are seeing which are “not” clearly labeled. Special attention must be paid to the “oils” which so many things are processed with these days. Peanut oil in particular is found in several common snack items & not clearly labeled stating this. Some of the popular Entenmann’s & Hostess products use peanut oil in processing, which is not designated on their labels. My daughter loves the Entenmann’s mini muffins, which we can no longer purchase. We were also informed to avoid twinkies as well which are no longer available in our area (temporarily) but alternate brands are. Best bet is to make your own, I feel.
Does anyone know if Cocoa Puffs Valentines’ treats are safe?
I love that you have provided this. Praying and begging for a sesame free listing to be included. These seed allergies are such a bear and allowed to “hide ” as spices and flavorings.
amen…
thank you for this site, and I second (or third) sesame
I’m very thankful for your updated lists! It’s so nice to print them off for family so they know what is safe! I also was wondering if you have a list of safe breakfast cereals? Or if anyone else could tell me what they know is for sure safe?
Are there any Safe breads that are peanut and tree nut free? So far I have been giving my peanut allergic daughter Pepperidge Farm Light Style Soft Wheat as Pepperidge farm told me there are no peanuts in their facilities. What about Pita Bread? Are there peanut and tree nut free brands?
I feed my daughter Brownberry Brand 100% whole wheat bread. It is peanut, tree nut, and sesame free as well as GMO free. Always double check labels though as companies can change their ingredients at any time.
An alternative brand is Bimbo Brand whole wheat bread, though they do contain gmo’s.
You can also make your own bread. I’m not a big fan of baking, but I have done it and you do have the comfort of knowing exactly what is in it!
Martin’s Potato Bread out of Chambersburg, PA. They have regular potato bread and wheat potato bread and rolls and the brand is found up and down the east coast. Call them to double check, 1-800-548-1200, but my Granddaughter who is highly allergic to all nuts eats it, in fact we all really like the bread. American family owned and operated.
I am an adult with severe peanut and tree nut allergies. I also appreciate this list because it is nice to know what food is “safe” to eat. I love pretzels, but some brands are made in a factory with nuts while others do not. Thanks for your list. Now I know which brands to buy and which ones to avoid.
I love this site. I happened on it by chance and it is a great resource. I wish however that I could find something similar for sesame allergies as my child is anaphylactic to peanuts and sesame. If anyone knows of any resources regarding sesame please let me know.
Thank you.
The problem with sesame and mustard is that they’re not part of FALCPA regime, so their manufacturers do not have to disclose their presence the same way.
We are working on incorporating these allergens and others into SnackSafely.com by having manufacturers self-certify, so stay tuned!
I’m with you, Ry’s Mom and Nat’s Mom. I look forward to seeing sesame and mustard added as one of my sons is allergic to both of those plus peanut. The other is allergic to tree nuts.
Thank you for all the work you’ve done so far, Dave. The other two are going to be a bear to dig up.
Sesame has become more prevalent, and some bread manufacturers have voluntarily begun listing sesame, but this #9 allergen should really be regulated.
Mustard is even worse because it can be listed as a “spice” or a “flavor”, and it is my experience that some of the biggest manufacturers won’t give up proprietary information without a letter from a doctor. How many allergists have time to write all these letters for each inquiry? Please… this makes me so angry!
I have found that some companies even include corn and other NON-Top-8 allergens as “spices.” Phooey. This is why I try to no longer buy factory food. Life is more natural, and more difficult, but a heckuva lot safer, for a kid with 7 food allergies.
I have the same concern.. I just found out that my daughter is allergic, to peanuts, tree nuts, mustard seed, and sesame seed. I don’t even know where to start. I am trying to figure out good healthy snacks for her that won’t hurt her, so I am up for any advice too! thanks.
I am appreciative that I happened upon this site via a google lookup; my middle school child is preparing to go with her class to the 2013 Inauguration. Though this is not the first time she’s been away from me, it will be the farthest, physically. I have asked the teachers to request that the other students in the group refrain from bringing snacks that contain peanuts. While the teachers whole-heartedly agreed, they did ask that I come up with a list of peanut-free snacks; having no idea where to go – I fortunately found you! Thank you for making my job a bit easier!
This is great! Do you have a list for cereals?
What an excellent resource! Our entire pre-school (district wide) has turned their classrooms into nut free classrooms. When it is our turn to bring snack, now I know what to take! Thank you for this awesome list.
I just forward this link to another parent for probably the twentieth time, so I thought I should finally say “Thank You!” You are providing a tremendous service. Being a parent of school-age children with food allergies can be overwhelming at times and this list makes live much easier.
THANK YOU! My daughter is tree nut, peanut, and egg allergic. We know specifically what tree nuts she can have, but you know, why bother, we just avoid them all. I can find allergy safe food for eggs, but not peanuts and vice versa. My first daughter was soy allergic, which she outgrew, so I am just amazed at the strides people are making helping other people just in the past 4 years. 4 years ago I had a hard time finding anything about soy allergies and finding any foods without soy. My husband even joked “remember when we looked for things cooked IN peanut oil because it was safe.” Now it seems people are more aware and out to help other people going through this. Thank you Thank you! With my soy allergic child, she ate no processed snacks, none, never, nothing store bought, only fruit and veggies (and even then fruit was coated with soy glaze, I had to wash off) I made Everything from SCRATCH! Even rice milk (she also had a diary intolerance) I am so happy now at least my younger child can have some store bought snacks.
Our daughter, too, was allergic to soy in the beginning, as well as all tree nuts and peanuts. We made everything from scratch, she never had processed foods ever, and she to this day is the healthiest person in the house! We were so excited when she outgrew her soy allergy! I nearly cried the first time she could have store bought bread!
I just wanted to thank you for this website. I am an assistant in an elementary health room and we have found your snack list VERY beneficial for our allergy students. I just printed out the update for Sept/Oct. Do you have any information on milk allergies?? Or do you know of a good website for information on milk allergies. Thank you so much!!!
At Angie, Our school requires pre-packaged, store bought items also, with ingredients listed. Both my daughters have PA, I have bought recently cupcakes at Walmart that say on the back of container, that they are made in Peanut Free facility. They do contain egg, wheat and soy. They are mini cupcakes and come in pack of 12. They were chocolate with orange and red icing with little sprinkles. My girls love them, they ate 2 packages. They are in the bakery section, they are Walmart brand, but made in peanut free facility. I usually don’t trust walmart brand stuff, the shredded cheese had a tree nut warning, strange. But these are great.
This list is amazing. While my little guy only has a peanut allergy (severe), this helps tremendously.
Do you have a copy of the Safe Snack guide in Spanish? The list is great, and I’d like to share it with some Spanish-speaking parents. Thanks! Dawn
Sorry, Dawn. As of this writing only in English.
Are these items free from cross contamination and shared equipment/facilities with tree nuts as well?
Tammy, the limitations of the Guide are explained in detail on the first page. Items preceded with a green check mark are certified by their manufacturers as being free from peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs.
Great list! Where can I find a list of products that are free of peanuts and tree nuts, but not eggs? I have a student that needs her food to be nut-free, but not egg-free and was looking for a list with more choices.
My daughter is 3 years old and is allergic to peanuts. I found your site and joined. It is truly helpful for me and our relatives. I was wondering what you do/did for your daughter when she is allowed to bring a special treat (cup cakes, cake) into school for her birthday? The allergy specialist said no bakery items at the grocery stores. Preschool allows store bought cakes/cupcakes but I am having a hard time finding peanut free on labels, because there are peanuts in the mfg. plant. Thank you for all of the time you put into Snack Safely. I visit your site weekly. Angie
Angie, have a look at the Safe Snack Guide under “Cakes/Muffins”!
Debra,
I did look into the Cake/Muffin section. The problem is that for school everything must be store bought and sealed. The 2 web sites you can order cupcakes/cookies from send the icing seperate on the side which means you have to ice them yourself. The teachers don’t have time to ice/decorate them. I was hoping by posting this possibly people may have suggestions of bakeries/stores/etc. It is extremely hard to find a cake/cup cakes that are nut safe. Thanks for your help. :-)
Hi Angie,
My daughter has a Peanut Allergy also. I have given up on the store bought cakes for her class Birthdays. My daughter is very happy bringing [approved] ice cream sandwiches for her class mates. It’s cool to because every one else brings cup cakes. When there is another childs Birthday at school my daughters teacher gives me a heads up and I will bake her, her own cup cake so she is not left out.
I am Canadian and I would like to know if this list would be a good resource for me.. We just found out that our daughter has a level 5 peanut allergy… thank goodness she is a fussy eater and we found out by her not liking the smell of peanut butter… strange but true. But now we have to be super careful and this list looks great, but as I said we are Canadian and wondered if it relates to us as well :) thank you
Sorry, Pam… The Safe Snack Guide only applies to products sold in the US.
Thank you so much for all of your hard work and time spent creating this list. I just learned that my son has a severe allergy to both eggs and peanuts. I was overwhelmed trying to learn everything we need to avoid in his diet and environment and this list is a huge help!
I want to say thank you for putting this list together. It has helped my family, including aunts, uncles and grandparents know which snacks are safe for my son. [Suggestions for products omitted.]
I found this list disappointing. My child is in a peanut/tree nut free classroom, and I was looking for alternatives that are protein rich and full of heart healthy fats to replace the nuts I usually pack. Soy nut butter and sunflower butter are extremely expensive alternatives to the natural peanut butter we usually consume. Since my child has Celiac disease, most of the wheat based alternatives on your list are a no-go for him, and there is a school-wide ban on the junk food listed such as “fruit” snacks and cheese-doodles. Do you actually give your child these foods?
Juliet, thanks for taking the time to comment and we’re sorry to hear your son has Celiac. We understand your frustration at finding snacks that are safe for children with Celiac.
We hope to expand the coverage of the Safe Snack Guide to other allergens including gluten in the near future. Until we do, the Guide will continue to focus on the allergens our own daughter is allergic to, namely peanuts, tree nuts and eggs.
Everyone has their cause; ours was to make it as easy as possible for parents to purchase snacks free of these allergens and by doing so avoid a principal cause of possible contact reactions in the classroom. We had no intention of evangelizing for healthier choices at the risk of dissuading some parents from compliance. We opted to provide a wide selection of snacks, from organic to junk food, in order to accommodate the habits of as many families as possible.
Do we give our daughter these snacks? Some of them. But we leave it to parents to make their own choices on what to give their children.
The last time I checked Dum Dums were processed in a facility that uses eggs. Are you not omitting items like these from list? Or did they change it recently and I just avoid them and miss it? Thanks your list is AWESOME!
Thanks for your endorsement, Heather!
As of this writing, Spangler maintains that Dum Dums are egg-free. Please see their Allergy Brochure.
THANK YOU for taking the time and effort to share your good work with us all. I promise the work you’ve done here will bring comfort and good health to MANY families…mine included!
Wow!!! I have not ever found a list for peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs only. THANK you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But of course I will be sure to read all labels. Maybe my son can find something new to eat now… :)
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting this list together and sharing it. This list is sure to help our allergic children feel included and not set apart in the classroom setting and for that I’m extremely grateful.
I’ve supplied your list to my daughters teacher so that when her classmates parents ask her what they can bring for parties – she has an extensive list to share with them.
THANK YOU!!!!!
Thank you for the wonderful endorsement, Adriana! Best wishes to you and your daughter!
fyi – Junior mints candies are also safe. they have the peanut free symbol on it and do say made in a nut free facility…thought i double checked for it and did not see it…
Theresa, Junior Mints are not egg-safe!
oh darn…sorry…my daughter has only PN/TN allergies….
Thank you!! Our school is nut free but my daughter has celiac disease. I’ve taken your list and highlighted the gluten-free options, to make finding suitable snacks for her to take to school easier. It’s been difficult to find gluten-free items that are also nut-free. She can eat nuts at home but school is an issue.
This is AWESOME!!!! Just found out my daughter is allergic to peanut, egg, and shrimp. I was really stressing out and sad because she won’t get to enjoy snacks like others, Bday parties, etc…….. Right now she’s fine because she eats whatever i give her but when she gets older didn’t want her to feel different. So Thank-you because now we have choices! Question, does anyone have special bracelets or anything they put on their child to let others know they have an allergy?
There are a lot of good sources online for bracelets. (example: allergyapparel.com) I think you are RIGHT ON in wanting to have something visible to others for your daughter. Mine wears one every time we leave the house.
Tanisha,
I have 3 children with allergies (1 peanuts and treenuts, 1 peanuts, treenuts and shellfish, 1 treenuts and shellfish) and I use Medic Alert bracelets for all of them. The bracelets have their allergy info as well as a phone number and ID number to contact Medic Alert. When someone calls, they will be giving all the emergency info and contact info for the child. It gives me a bit of piece of mind when I’m not with them. I also have them wear them whenever we leave the house- even together. We could be seperated or I could become ill and not be able to speak for them.
i also have a non-allergic child but she has a monor case of asthma- I’m considering getting her a bracelet as well for those times when her asthma is a problem.
As a parent of 3 non-allergic children I find lists such as this VERY helpful! What a terrific resource for keeping all children safe.
THANK YOU!!!! This list is GREAT! Now I just need it as an iphone app, lol!
I have a question actually. They list pretzels as safe, but the ingredient list on the Rold Gold says that it has Malt Extract which I have been told and read may include some derivative of egg. Is that a falsehood?
Stephanie, malt extract is derived from barley and water and does not contain egg components. Though the current food labeling regime under FALCPA is flawed, it does mandate that a product’s ingredients explicitly highlight the presence of the top 8 allergens of which egg is one (with the exception of highly refined oils like peanut oil.) So malt extract itself should be fine for those with egg allergy.
A good summary of FALCPA can be found here: 5 Things You Should Know About Food Labels
IT’S A MISSION OF AWARENESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOUR APPROACH, WE NEED MORE ADVOCATES…SOME STUDIES SHOW THAT OUR ENVIRONMENT IS PART OF THE PROBLEM…YEARS AGO NOT MANY KIDS SUFFERED FROM THESE FOOD ALLERGIES
Thank you for this! Your guide will be immensely helpful in the fall when my kids go to their new school. My kids’ classrooms will be peanut/nut-free, and parents rotate snack duty so I will pass along this website so they will have a huge list of safe snacks!
Great list. I would definitely love to see dairy-free on the list as well. It is one of the “top 4″ allergies and very common among food allergic children.
I agree with Karen, as dairy is more common then we admit to and a dairy free list would be GREAT!
We hope to be able to accommodate dairy sometime in the future.
I would love dairy and even a few that are wheat and soy free too. My son is highly allergic and with the exception of fruits, veggies an brown rice, it’s hard to find snacks for him.
I agree my son has a severe allergy to dairy too and i think schools should include a list of dairy free also. Thanks keep up the great work!!
I wish the list also contains dairy and soy allergies as well. I am finding it so difficult to find snacks for my 15 month old.
I can’t thank you enough for this list. One of my 17-month old twin boys has the same three allergies and I am just starting to become educated. Your site is extremely helpful! Thank you.
this site was not helpful for parents who’s children also have dairy allergies. Most of the safe snacks you list contain dairy, I realize this is not one of your child’s allergies, but I wish there was a website devoted to totally allergy free snacks. Keep up what your doing, I’m sure this helps some people.
We understand your frustration. We have plans to extend our coverage to the other major allergens (including dairy) in the not too distant future. We suggest you subscribe to our mailing list to keep informed of ongoing developments.
I was upset too not finding dairy free options. Look forward to seeing the selections in the near future. Thanks.
Good news to share: your Snack Safe Guide has been included our draft for our school districts FIRST EVER food allergy and anaphylaxis policy! Now, the draft must pass through several hands but I am very grateful for this guide and how it will make a difference in the safety of our children!
Thanks for all the work you put into the list. It makes it very easy for parents to see that there are plenty of “safe” foods available to bring in for school parties and celebrations.
What are some ideas for a kindergarten birthday party??
LOVE your list. What a brilliant solution to reducing stress for those who are trying to support our food allergic children. I am posting your guide on Friday, Oct 14th’s blog! Thank you for your work!
Thanks for your kind words, Caroline! For those who don’t know her, Caroline writes a great blog called “The Grateful Foodie” which we highly recommend.
Thank you so much this list is just what I was looking for! I work in a school for School Age Child Care and have so many students with allergies! Had a condensed list for peanut allergies, but now one has peanut and egg allergies and 2 have tree nuts. Of course am going to still read labels prior to serving. Thank you again!