British airline EasyJet bans nuts on all flights to protect passengers

British airline EasyJet has announced it is banning the sale of nuts on flights.

Passengers are also being asked not to consume products containing nuts in order to protect travellers with allergies.

The move comes after mounting consumer pressure, which has seen airlines such as Qantas, Southwest Airlines, Lufthansa and British Airways remove peanuts as snacks from all flights.

However, most say they cannot guarantee a "nut-free environment" due to "cross-contamination."

This means customers with nut and nut-dust allergies still need to indicate their allergies when booking flights and at the airport.

EasyJet, a budget airline which primarily serves European markets, has a specific option on its booking page for such requests.

"The safety and welfare of all of our customers and crew is our highest priority so we have a number of procedures in place to assist customers travelling with a nut allergy," a spokesperson for the low-cost airline said.

"We ask that any customers with a nut allergy notify us ahead of travel and we will request that other passengers travelling on the flight do not consume any products containing nuts that they have brought with them on board.

"We have also stopped the sale of peanuts on board and will be removing the last product from our in-flight range which contains nuts in the coming months."

While the airline concedes that it's "not possible to ban nuts on all flights," as other passengers may bring them on-board despite being requested not to, it will take action in extreme cases.

"When a passenger who suffers from a severe nut allergy, which can result in anaphylaxis, is travelling with us we will request that other passengers travelling on the flight do not consume nuts that they have brought with them on-board," the spokesperson said.

In 2017, a study published by in the World Allergy Organisation Journal found that around 2.2 per cent of on-board medical emergencies were caused by allergic reactions.

In Australia, nearly three in every 100 children have a peanut allergy, according to Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia.

Still, not everyone supports removing certain foods from the friendly skies.

Last year, Southwest's decision to remove peanuts from its flights caused some push-back, with the National Peanut Board, a peanut industry group, vehemently disagreeing with the airline's decision.

"We were disappointed to learn about Southwest's decision to stop serving peanuts, which even the airline considers an iconic part of its history and DNA," the board said in a statement.

"It is an unnecessary step that will disappoint many of Southwest's customers.”