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: Because 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.

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. Daniel Avram – stock.adobe.com

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

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

Currently, Nurtured Nuts has a clinical study underway in a major hospital to compare allergic reactions when people 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 company is currently working on gaining FDA approval to prove that its hypoallergenic nut is safe to eat, which may come as early as 2027.

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

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

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

The company is currently working on gaining FDA approval to prove that its hypoallergenic nut is safe to eat, which may come as early as 2027. Daisy Daisy – stock.adobe.com

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 told The Post. Without those key proteins, the nut could be used to make oil, flour and butter, and even cosmetics by way of the peanut shells. The shells could also be used as insulation or as other types of building materials.

But the peanut’s inherent genetically modified nature could also be a consumer hurdle.

In 2020, about 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 people the ick.

But Williams says that in the midst of trends, countertrends can be just as strong.

For example, even for all the hoopla on lab-grown meat, people lined up to try the Beyond Meat and Impossible burgers when they first hit the market.

“People put aside things they wanted, and get excited about alternative products,” Williams says. “To propose the solution to eliminate peanuts allergens from schools and airlines? People 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 prices. People are looking for domestically-made foods that aren’t privy to disease. Hypoallergenic peanuts may very 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.