Choose cashew nuts only if your guest can eat cashews, and match your choice to their specific needs: gluten-free, lactose-free and vegan do not mean that a product is nut-free. Albert Heijn lists these features for certain cashew varieties, but ingredients and warnings vary between varieties, so always check the exact packaging. Serve a chosen snack for a gluten-free guest separately from bread, using clean, separate serving utensils.
You’re looking for a specific product variety with suitable gluten information, and want to prevent it coming into contact with bread or other party snacks. Choose cashew nuts only if your guest can tolerate cashews. The Dutch Coeliac Association explains how gluten can be transferred via hands and shared serving bowls.
Check the dietary information for the specific variety rather than relying on the brand name. Albert Heijn lists certain cashew nuts as gluten-free, lactose-free and vegan; lactose-free does not automatically mean suitable for someone with a milk allergy.
You’re putting together snacks, packaging and serving bowls, and want to make the information clear for your guests. If you’re serving gluten-free snacks, plan ahead for separate bowls and clean serving utensils.
First check which substance your guest needs to avoid and what the exact packaging says. Then plan how to serve the snacks separately, before choosing the flavour and quantity.
| What to consider | What should you look for? | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Specific dietary requirement | Ask which substance needs to be avoided, then read the dietary claim, ingredients and allergen warning for the exact variety. | If I’m buying for a guest with a specific dietary restriction, I want to know first which substance they avoid. Around 31% of consumers prioritise suitability for a specific dietary requirement. |
| Serving separately | Plan separate bowls and clean serving utensils so that bread crumbs and hands from other bowls don’t touch the snack. | I want to be able to serve a chosen gluten-free snack separately. Around 25% of consumers put separate presentation first. |
| Lactose-free or vegan | Check that the relevant claim appears on the variety. If someone has a milk allergy, also check the information about milk proteins. | If I’m catering for a lactose-free or vegan diet, I want to see the relevant claim on the packaging. These dietary requirements come first for around 19% of consumers. |
| Flavour and preparation | Compare unroasted, roasted or savoury seasoned varieties, and read the ingredients and allergen warnings too. | Once the dietary requirements are clear, I choose based on the flavour and preparation I prefer. This is the main deciding factor for around 13% of consumers. |
| Quantity and packaging | Compare the net weight with how much you want to serve, and follow the storage instructions on the packaging after opening. | I want to choose a pack that suits the quantity I need for the get-together. Quantity and packaging come first for around 12% of consumers. |
A claim such as gluten-free or lactose-free does not rule out cashews, peanuts or other nuts. Cashews are an allergen in their own right.
Ask which substance your guest avoids, and check the ingredients and warnings for the exact variety, not just the front of the pack.
Preparation, ingredients and allergen warnings can vary. ‘Oven roasted without added oil’ does not, by itself, mean a product is suitable for a gluten-free diet.
Check the full product name and packaging again if you choose a different flavour or variety.
Choosing the wrong flavour variety may mean you need to find another snack for a guest.
Bread crumbs and hands that have touched snacks containing gluten can transfer gluten to a gluten-free snack.
Use a separate bowl in a different spot, along with clean, dedicated serving utensils. The Dutch Coeliac Association explains this risk with shared snacks.
Serving snacks separately takes extra care and requires separate serving utensils.
The NVWA warning of 20 May 2026 concerned Trader Joe’s Unsalted Cashew Nuts, 170 g, with barcode 2003020120930 and best-before date 23-09-2026. The warning was about possible metal fragments, not all cashew nuts from ALDI.
Do not eat a pack with exactly these details. The warning does not apply to other varieties or packs.
The Dutch product pages for AH Cashewnoten ongezouten 170 g and AH Ongezouten cashewnoten 250 g list the products as gluten-free, lactose-free and vegan.
Jumbo Cashewnoten Ongezouten 200 g lists 99% cashew nuts and sunflower oil in its ingredients.
According to its ingredients list, PLUS Cashewnoten ongezouten ongebrand 200 g contains only cashew nuts and is labelled vegan.
Duyvis describes its Original range as oven-roasted without added oil. This description applies to that range.
Lidl offers unsalted cashew nuts, including a Way To Go! variety.
The ALDI product page lists Trader Joe’s roasted, unsalted cashew nuts in a 250 g pack.
These Joybuy product picks are cashew varieties for serving at a get-together. Product titles and listed ingredients are not a guarantee that a product is free from particular substances; before serving, check the current packaging for dietary claims, allergens and warnings. All the products below contain cashews.
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If you’re looking for a simple ingredient list for your get-together, the product information lists 100% cashew kernels. Contains cashews and is not suitable for guests with a cashew allergy.
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For anyone wanting to serve salted cashews, the listed ingredients are 98% cashew nuts, sunflower oil and 1% salt. Contains cashews and is not suitable for guests with a cashew allergy.
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For an unsalted party snack, the product title describes roasted cashews with no salt; the product information lists cashew nuts as an ingredient. Contains cashews and is not suitable for guests with a cashew allergy.
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The product information describes cashew nuts with purple skins and salt, and suggests sharing them with friends. The pack contains 500 g. Contains cashews and is not suitable for guests with a cashew allergy.
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According to the product information, these salted cashews with skins come in a 120 g pack and can be served straight away. Contains cashews and is not suitable for guests with a cashew allergy.
No. Lactose intolerance affects the digestion of milk sugar; a milk allergy is a reaction to milk proteins. If someone has a milk allergy, don’t rely on the ‘lactose-free’ claim alone.
‘May contain’ warns of possible accidental presence due to cross-contamination; it does not mean the ingredient was deliberately added. The NVWA states that, since 1 January 2026, businesses must support these warnings with a risk assessment.
Make sure that bread crumbs or hands that have touched snacks containing gluten don’t come into contact with the cashews. A separate bowl in a different spot, along with clean, dedicated serving utensils, can help prevent contact while serving; they do not guarantee that gluten is completely absent.
Yes. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 sets out the conditions for claims such as ‘gluten-free’ and ‘very low gluten’. The regulation has applied since 20 July 2016, as explained by the European Commission.
Do not eat the pack if it is Trader Joe’s Unsalted Cashew Nuts, 170 g, with barcode 2003020120930 and best-before date 23-09-2026. The NVWA warning of 20 May 2026 concerned possible metal fragments in that exact pack; an expired best-before date does not make an affected pack that is still around safe to eat.
