Coconut Group Seeks Removal of Coconuts from “Tree Nut” Allergen Labeling

The Coconut Coalition of the Americas has announced an effort to revise 2006 guidance interpreting the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act “to remove coconut from the list of ‘tree nuts’ identified as a major food allergen,” according to a press release. “The fact is coconut is not a major food allergen nor is it a nut,” the organization asserts. It cites the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology to argue that coconut is a fruit rather than a tree nut, and although “allergic reactions to coconut have been documented, most people who are allergic to tree nuts can safely eat coconut.”