On January 6, the FDA released new guidance outlining changes to its classification of tree nuts. Most notably, coconut has been removed from the list, along with beech, butternut, chestnut, chinquapin, coconut, cola/kola, ginkgo, hickory, palm, pili, and shea.
Now included in the list of tree nuts are:
- Almond
- Black walnut
- Brazil nut
- California walnut
- Cashew
- Filbert/Hazelnut
- Heartnut/Japanese walnut
- Macadamia nut/Bush nut
- Pecan
- Pine nut/Pinon nut
- Pistachio
- English and Persian walnut
Eggs now include additional varieties such as duck, geese and quail while milk varieties have been expanded to encompass sheep and goat.
“This will be a significant change for NC State Dining. Our current system for labeling nuts includes coconut ingredients. We will be updating our allergen information to appropriately reflect the new guidelines.” said Lauren Smith, director of nutrition and wellness. “We have thousands of menu items in our system, so it will be a process to make these changes. We will update the campus as soon as it’s complete. If you have questions about a specific item, please ask a chef or a supervisor for information. If you have a coconut allergy, please remember to check ingredient lists, both on and off campus.” As always, complete ingredient information will continue to be listed online at dining.ncsu.edu/locations.
NC State Dining is interested to learn more about how this labeling change will impact the NC State Community. Impacted individuals can share their insights by completing this survey.
A summary of the changes can be found here and the full FDA breakdown can be found in their Final Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Food Allergens, Including the Food Allergen Labeling Requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (Edition 5).
Per the FDA, NC State Dining will no longer include coconut in the list of items linked to the “Peanut/Tree Nut” icon.