Tree nuts in Canada: label rules and introduction guidance

Are tree nuts on Canada's priority food allergen list?

Health Canada's tree nut list has nine members: almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts (pignolias), pistachio nuts and walnuts. The specific nut must be declared by its common name in the ingredient list or the 'Contains' statement, so 'almond' rather than 'tree nuts'. Health Canada also says coconut and nutmeg are not considered tree nuts for the purposes of food allergen labelling in Canada, although some people allergic to tree nuts have reacted to them, which is a question for an allergist.

Canada's priority food allergens are eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts, crustaceans and molluscs, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, tree nuts, and wheat and triticale. Under the enhanced labelling rules published in 2011, a prepackaged food must name each one by its common name in the list of ingredients or in a statement beginning with 'Contains'. Gluten sources (barley, oats, rye, triticale and wheat) are declared the same way. 'May contain' statements are voluntary, cannot be used when an allergen is added on purpose, and must follow the ingredients or 'Contains' statement.

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Food allergies and allergen labelling
• Health Canada: Common food allergens
• Health Canada: Tree nuts, priority food allergens

What CPS guidance says about introducing tree nuts

The CPS lists tree nuts among the most common food allergens in children. Its practice point finds the strongest evidence for early introduction in egg and peanut and describes an evidence gap for other allergenic foods, tree nuts included. Its general advice still applies: introduce allergenic foods one at a time without unnecessary delay between them, and keep the texture or size of any food age-appropriate to prevent choking, which for nuts means a smooth butter or finely ground form. If your baby is at high risk, the CPS suggests considering common allergenic solids around 6 months, and your paediatrician can help plan which nuts first.

In Canada, allergen introduction guidance comes from the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS). Its practice point for infants at high risk (2019, updated 2020) defines high risk as a personal history of eczema or other atopy, or a parent or sibling with an allergic condition. For those babies it recommends considering common allergenic solids at around 6 months but not before 4 months, guided by developmental readiness; for babies at low or no risk, it recommends complementary foods at about 6 months.

• Canadian Paediatric Society: Timing of introduction of allergenic solids for infants at high risk

Logging tree nuts in the app

The app's region picker has no Canada option yet. The US schedule covers all nine allergens in these guides, and Canadian priority allergens outside it, such as mustard, can be added as foods in the diary. In the schedule, tree nuts appears as Tree Nut. 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. Log each nut by name, almond or cashew rather than 'nuts', so your record matches the way labels name them. 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.