New hypoallergenic peanuts could bring the salty snacks back to airplanes and school cafeterias

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Key points

• In late 2025, the USDA approved Nurtured Nuts' application to grow and propagate its peanut seeds in Georgia.
• In 2020, regarding half of American consumers were wary of the effects of genetically modified foods, and this peanut is indeed modified.
• She produces The Gumbo Pot, a weekly Substack featuring independent reportage on education, health, culture, food, infrastructure and energy.
• For example, even for all the hoopla on lab-grown meat, individuals lined up to try the Beyond Meat and Impossible burgers when they first hit the market.
• For example, last summer Texas Roadhouse quietly began serving peanuts in sealed bags instead of in the open air with the shells tossed on the floor.

Navigating a world with peanut allergies can be. Well, nuts. Even if you're not the one who's allergic.

More than six million Americans have a food allergy, and peanuts are the third-most common allergen. And it doesn't just impact those who can't eat it: Since reactions can be deadly, peanut-free policies and other restrictions are common in places like schools and restaurants.

But a Minnesota-based startup is developing a new "hypoallergenic" peanut that could bring the salty snack back to hospitals, planes, cafeterias and restaurants without causing allergic reactions.

Nurtured Nuts CEO Bryant Williams sought to remove three of the clinically relevant proteins discovered in peanuts – RH2, RH6, and RH7 – that can cause a severe allergic reaction by modifying peanut DNA using CRISPR.

In practice, the result is a peanut that is hypoallergenic, not allergen-free. That means the nut isn't meant to be eaten by individuals with severe peanut allergies, but rather that it could be consumed in communal spaces without posing the same risk to residents with severe allergies.

At present, Nurtured Nuts has a clinical study underway in a major hospital to compare allergic reactions when residents with peanut allergies are exposed to normal peanuts versus its hypoallergenic alternative.

In late 2025, the USDA approved Nurtured Nuts' application to grow and propagate its peanut seeds in Georgia. The firm is at present working on gaining FDA approval to prove that its hypoallergenic nut is safe to eat. It may come as early as 2027.

Though the exact timeline is still unclear, Williams notes, due to ongoing conversations with potential partners who have different visions for products, from there, the nut could enter the market via restaurants, cafeterias or hospitals.

Either way, a hypoallergenic nut could create it easier for communal spaces to serve peanuts without putting residents with severe allergies in as much risk.

For example, last summer Texas Roadhouse quietly began serving peanuts in sealed bags instead of in the open air with the shells tossed on the floor. The considerations that probable went into that decision were safety to ensure someone didn't slip on shells, and peanut allergies.

That's the kind of farmer-to-restaurant sales opportunity that Williams has his eye on.

"It's a unique ingredient supplier into the food industry, " Williams informed The Post. Without those key proteins, the nut could be applied to produce oil, flour and butter, and even cosmetics by way of the peanut shells. The shells could additionally be employed as insulation or as other types of building materials.

But the peanut's inherent genetically modified nature could additionally be a consumer hurdle.

In 2020, regarding half of American consumers were wary of the effects of genetically modified foods, and this peanut is indeed modified. Meanwhile, states such as Alabama and Florida have banned lab-grown meat, with a prevailing rationale that the product meat gives individuals the ick.

But Williams notes that in the midst of trends, countertrends can be just as robust.

"People put aside things they wanted, and get excited about alternative products, " Williams notes. "To propose the solution to eliminate peanuts allergens from schools and airlines? Individuals will be excited, and grateful for that."

Bryant's pitch ultimately comes down to this: There is an ongoing demand for protein in the face of sky-high meat rates. Individuals are looking for domestically-made foods that aren't privy to disease. Hypoallergenic peanuts may particularly well fit the bill.

Karen Fischer is an independent writer and reporter. She produces The Gumbo Pot, a weekly Substack featuring independent reportage on education, health, culture, food, infrastructure and energy.

In short, new hypoallergenic peanuts could bring the salty snacks back to airplanes and is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.