Peanut in the United States: label rules and introduction guidance

Is peanut on the FDA's list of 9 major food allergens?

Peanuts were on the original FALCPA list, and the FDA's January 2025 guidance (Edition 5) keeps them there. The label must use the word peanut, either in parentheses after an ingredient or in the 'Contains' statement, and FDA accepts the singular 'peanut' as well as 'peanuts'. Peanut is a separate category from tree nuts on the US list, so a 'Contains' statement naming almond or walnut tells you nothing about peanut, and the reverse is also true. Highly refined oils are specifically exempt from the definition of a major food allergen, which is why a highly refined peanut oil is not treated the same way as peanut butter or peanut flour.

In the United States, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) and the FASTER Act, names nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. A packaged food has to declare each one either in parentheses after an ingredient, such as 'whey (milk)', or in a 'Contains' statement printed immediately after or next to the ingredient list.

• FDA: Food Allergies
• FDA: Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens (Edition 5, January 2025)

What CDC guidance says about introducing peanut

The Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States, written in 2017 by a NIAID-sponsored expert panel, describe three groups. For infants with severe eczema, egg allergy or both, the panel recommends introducing age-appropriate peanut-containing foods as early as 4 to 6 months and strongly considering an allergy evaluation first. For infants with mild to moderate eczema, it suggests introduction around 6 months. For infants with neither, it says peanut can be introduced in line with family preferences and cultural practices. CDC's own advice to parents is brief: if your child has severe eczema or an egg allergy, talk with your child's doctor or nurse about when and how to safely introduce foods with peanuts. Your paediatrician is the right person to say which group your baby is in.

US advice on first foods comes from several places. CDC's page for parents says to introduce potentially allergenic foods when you introduce other foods. For peanut specifically, an expert panel sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) published addendum guidelines in 2017. Neither replaces a conversation with your paediatrician about your own baby.

• NIAID: Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States (2017)
• CDC: When, What, and How to Introduce Solid Foods

Logging peanut in the app

Set your region to the United States and the app's allergen schedule follows the FDA's nine. In the schedule, peanut appears as Peanut. Each allergen entry moves from not started to introduced, cleared or reaction, and the 14-day window keeps new foods spaced out so a delayed reaction is easier to match to a food. Note the form you offered, such as thinned smooth peanut butter or peanut powder, so later offerings are easy to compare. If you see a symptom, log it with its severity; the paediatrician report gathers the dates into one PDF for your next appointment. It is a record for you and your doctor, not a diagnosis.