Does the fda classify a coconut as a nut?

It does, it is WRONG: Like many government agencies, the FDA makes mistakes. It does classify coconuts as a "tree nut" but it's wrong. No botanist would agree that coconuts are true nuts. See http://www.fda.gov/ForIndustry/FDABasicsforIndustry/ucm238807.htm for the FDA's classification. See http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/coconut.html for the Library of Congress's discussion of why coconuts are drupes,a fruit!