Tree nuts are a delicious food that are very nutritious, and can be included as an important part of a healthy diet. However, for people allergic to tree nuts, such as pecans, completely avoiding pecans is the only way to manage your allergy as currently there is no cure. To safely manage your allergy, it’s important to recognise pecans in their different forms and know which foods contain them.
Pecans are a tree nut which can be found in many foods such as breakfast cereals, pancakes, pastries and salads. They may appear whole (the kernel), or in a variety of forms.
REMEMBER: You cannot tell what ingredients foods contain by looking at them, smelling them or tasting them. ALWAYS read labels when eating packaged food and when eating out. ALWAYS tell people preparing and serving food you have a food allergy. ASK them about food content after you have told them about your food allergy.
Managing your pecans allergy
- Look for your allergen in the ingredients list, and for precautionary allergen labelling on packaging. Check ingredients each time you buy the food because they can change.
- Don’t rely on menu descriptions when ordering foods and drinks at restaurants. Tell food service staff about your allergy, and ask about ingredients, preparation and cross contamination risks.
- Check for pecans ‘hidden’ in foods and drinks, such as meals or flours, butters, essences, milks, alcoholic drinks and oils.
- If you only need to avoid some tree nuts, consider buying other tree nuts in shell to avoid cross contamination.
- Check ingredients of cosmetics and skin creams as they sometimes contain tree nut products.
Pecan factsheet
Download pecan factsheet to keep on hand whenever you need it
Pecan shell
Pecans have a light brown, oval-shaped shell, with a sharp point on one end.
Pecan kernel
Pecan kernels have a flat oval shape with deep, stripe-like creases.
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