Don’t serve cashew nuts to anyone who needs to avoid cashews; a free-from claim for another ingredient doesn’t change that. If cashews are suitable, check the ingredients and warnings on the exact pack against your guest’s dietary needs, then choose based on preparation, salt and pack size.
You want to know in advance which ingredient a guest needs to avoid, and make sure you don’t mistakenly serve cashews as an allergen-free option for everyone. Cashew is itself a tree nut allergen. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) explains what allergen information must appear on prepacked products.
You can eat cashews, but check the ingredients and relevant warnings on the exact product variant. The Dutch Coeliac Association explains that a warning about possible cross-contamination indicates a potential risk, not that the allergen is definitely present.
You might be looking for unsalted, unroasted or roasted cashews. These are product characteristics, not proof that a variant is free from an allergen that you or your guest needs to avoid.
First, check the exact pack for the ingredient that needs to be avoided. Then compare the preparation, added salt and quantity.
The percentages below relate to consumers considering cashews as a snack to serve with drinks.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Avoiding the right allergen | The specific ingredient, ingredients list and warnings on the pack. | If I need to avoid an allergen for a guest, I first want to know whether cashew itself is one of them. Around 36% of consumers prioritise a specific allergen other than gluten. |
| Choosing and serving gluten-free options | Ingredients, gluten-free product information and warnings; avoid contact with bread or cracker crumbs. | If I need to avoid gluten, I check the exact variant and keep the portion away from crumbs containing gluten. Around 29% of consumers prioritise avoiding gluten. |
| Preparation and salt | Check separately whether the nuts are unroasted or roasted, and salted or unsalted. | Once I’ve finished checking the dietary information, I choose the preparation and salt level I want. These characteristics can go together. Around 21% of consumers consider preparation and salt the deciding factors. |
| Quantity and storage | The net weight, the amount needed for the drinks party and the storage instructions for that variant. | For a drinks party, I want to choose a pack that suits the number of guests and can be stored according to the label. Around 14% of consumers focus mainly on quantity and storage. |
Unsalted doesn’t mean unroasted, and neither term proves that a product is free from a specific allergen. If product information changes, always check the pack you’re actually buying.
Cashew is itself a tree nut allergen. A claim about another ingredient doesn’t tell you whether someone can eat cashews.
First find out which ingredient your guest needs to avoid. Then check the ingredients and relevant warnings on the pack you’ve chosen.
These terms describe added salt or how the nuts are prepared, not whether other allergens are present. Duyvis separately notes possible cross-contamination with peanuts and/or nuts in its product information.
Consider the preparation method and allergen information as separate criteria.
Contact with crumbs containing gluten can make the portion unsuitable for someone who needs to avoid gluten.
Use a clean, separate bowl and separate serving utensils. Place them where bread or cracker crumbs can’t get in.
Duyvis describes Cashews Original as oven-roasted without added oil.
Albert Heijn stocks AH Cashews Unsalted.
Jumbo lists products including Unsalted Cashew Nuts 200 g and Unroasted Cashew Nuts 140 g.
Lidl Netherlands has a product page for unsalted cashew nuts.
ALDI lists TRADER JOE’S Roasted and Unsalted Cashew Nuts 250 g; TRADER JOE’S is the product brand name.
PLUS stocks Unsalted Unroasted Cashew Nuts 200 g.
These are cashew nuts to serve with drinks, with differences in preparation, added salt and pack size. The product information can help you compare their characteristics, but it isn’t a general free-from guarantee; check the current pack against your dietary needs.
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The product description lists 100% cashew kernels as the ingredient; check whether cashew is suitable for your guests’ dietary needs.
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The product description says the cashews are oven-roasted without added oil and lists gluten, wheat and peanuts among the ingredients and allergens. Check the pack if you or a guest needs to avoid these ingredients.
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The product description lists 98% cashews, sunflower oil and 1% salt. Check the ingredients on the pack when assessing a specific dietary need.
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The product name describes roasted, unsalted cashews. The product description lists cashew as an ingredient and allergen, and recommends keeping the pack tightly closed after opening.
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The product name specifies purple skin, 180 grade and a 500 g pack. The product description lists cashew kernels and salt as ingredients; check the pack against your guests’ dietary needs.
No. Cashew is itself a tree nut allergen. A claim that a product is free from another ingredient doesn’t make it suitable for someone who needs to avoid cashew.
No. They are different product characteristics and can occur together: the name of an ALDI variant we looked at says both roasted and unsalted, while a PLUS variant is described as unroasted and unsalted. Check both characteristics separately on the pack.
Avoid contact with crumbs containing gluten. Use a clean, separate bowl and separate serving utensils, and place them where bread or cracker crumbs can’t get in.
This type of warning indicates a potential risk of unintended presence; it doesn’t mean the allergen is definitely in every pack. New rules for precautionary allergen warnings have been in force in the Netherlands since 1 January 2026, and the NVWA monitors labelling.
Yes. The NVWA says allergen information must appear on the label of prepacked products. Read the information on the pack you buy, as product and dietary details can change.
