Since Halloween is upon us, I thought you all would appreciate a current list of gluten-free candy. I either contacted the manufacturer or obtained their gluten-free information from their website which I link to below.
Some possibilities of manufacturers who do not place what appears to be a gluten-free item on their gluten-free list may be because they do not trust their source for particular ingredients, whether it be gluten or cross-contamination of gluten (made in a factory that contains gluten ingredients), etc. Not every candy manufacture visits their all facilities where ingredients are made, especially if they are in a foreign country.
One company told me that they only add candy that is 100% gluten-free to their gluten-free list. Instead of going by the new rules that go into effect 2012 (which many companies are already abiding by) that a product labeled gluten-free must not contain more than 20 ppm (parts per million), they are taking a step further. Better safe than sorry!
There are many more gluten-free candies, but I was not able to contact every manufacture or are awaiting their list. I will update this list as I gather more information.
Please share this list! Have a safe and fun Halloween!
List of Gluten-free Candy
- Dagoba (all) Made by Hershey
- Haribo Gummi Candy – The original gummi candy maker (gummi bears, all others)
- 3 Musketeers (bar, 2 go, fun size and minis, not original bar)
- Atomic Fireballs Ferrara Pan
- Baby Ruth – by Nestle
- Bit-O-Honey by Nestle
- Black Forest Gummy Bears by Ferrara Pan
- Candy Carnival
- Carmel Apple Pops
- Child’s Play
- Cry Baby
- Dots & Crows (aka DOTS)
- Dove, all versions
- Dubble Bubble candy
- Dubble Bubble Ball Gum
- Fluffy Stuff Cotton Candy
- Frooties
- Goobers by Nestle
- Skor Toffee Bars
- All Almond Joy Bars
- All Mounds Bars
- All Heath Bars
- All Reeses except for season shapes like at Easter and Christmas time.
- All Scharffen Berger products
- Jaw Busters by Ferrara Pan
- Jelly Belly Jelly Beans (starch derived from corn); and Jelly Belly Chocolate Dips (gelatin-free and certified OU Dairy Kosher)
- Junior Mints
- Laffy Taffy by Wonka/Nestle
- Lemonheads Ferrara Pan
- Like-M-Aid Fun Dip by Wonka/Nestle
- M&Ms, all except M&M Preztle
- Munch Bar by Hershey’s
- Nestle’s Milk Chocolate by Nestle
- Nik-L-Nip wax bottles
- Nips by Nestle
- O’Henry by Nestle
- Pixie Stix by Wonka/Nestle
- Raisinets by Nips by Nestle
- Razzles
- Red Hots Ferrara Pan
- Skittles – sour, wild berry, crazy cores (not original)
- Snicker’s and Snicker’s Dark Bar
- Sno-Caps by Nestle
- Spree by Wonka/Nestle
- Starburst GummiBursts (includes original, duos and sour)
- Sugar Babies
- Sugar Daddy
- Tootsie Pops
- Tootsie Roll
- Wack-O-Wax
Hershey Products that are NOT gluten-free (or not guaranteed to be gluten-free)
- 100 Calorie Bars
- 5th Avenue
- Almond Joy
- Cadbury
- Heath
- Hershey’s Bliss
- Hershey’s Special Dark
- Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate
- Hershey’s Miniatures
- Hershey’s Nuggets
- Kit Kat
- Milky Way: 2 Go, Minis, fun size, Midnight Bar, Midnight Minis, Milk Chocolate Covered Carmels
- Mounds
- Mr. Goodbar
- PayDay
- Pieces
- Pot of Gold
- Reese’s Fast Break
- Reese’s NutRageous
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups* (read paragraph above about my call to Hershey’s)
- Reese Sticks
- Rolos
- Skor bar
- Snicker’s
- Snicker’s Dark
- Symphony
- Take5
- WhatChaMaCallIt
- Whoppers (Per the comment below, they are no longer gluten-free.)
- Wrigley’s Products:
- York Peppermint Patties
- Walgreen’s Peeps Gummy Bears
Milky Way Products are NOT Gluten-Free
Wrigley’s Products – all may contain gluten
Nestle Crunch is not gluten free.
To better understand why manufacturers do what they do, read Gluten-free Labeling Laws – Are you safe?.
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UPDATE – October 30, 2010:
The Mars company just got back to me on my gluten-free product inquiry. See what they had to say below:
Dear Ms. Spacher,
In response to your email regarding M&M’S MILK CHOCOLATE CANDIES.
Thank you for your email.
The ingredient statement on each wrapper is the best source for this information. The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network advises consumers to rely on ingredient labels, not lists that can become outdated when products change.
Please feel free to contact us at 1-800-627-7852 if you have any specific product questions.
Have a great day!
Your Friends at Mars Chocolate North America”
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Update: November 1, 2010 on Raisinets:
“Thank you for contacting Nestlé® Raisinets®.
Please be assured that the Nestlé® Raisinets® do not contain any gluten.
We consider “gluten free” to mean no gluten ingredients are in the product, whether directly added, or potentially present due to cross-contact. In other words, if a product label has an allergen advisory statement such as “made on equipment” or “facility that also processes wheat etc… “, we do not consider that product to be gluten free.
It is important to always read product labels/packaging for the most accurate information.
I have included a link to our gluten free list at the end of this email that I hope you will find helpful.
We appreciate your interest and hope you will visit our website often for the latest information on our products and promotions.
Sincerely,
Tiffany Smith
Consumer Response Representative”
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UPDATE: November 2, 2010 – on Skittles and Starburst inquiry:
“Thank you for contacting us to inquire about the presence of gluten in Skittles® Candy.
You will be pleased to know that Skittles and Starburst sold in the U.S. are free of any gluten sources.
For information on M&M products we would recommend contacting 1-800-627-7852.
We hope this information is helpful in finding your favorite products. If you have any further comments or questions please feel free to contact us, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, at 1-800-974-4539.
Sincerely,
Melissa Kepple
Consumer Care Representative”
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UPDATED – November 3, 2010 from Wrigley’s:
“Thank you for writing to inquire about ingredients used in Wrigley products.
All U.S. Wrigley products are labeled within strict compliance of applicable laws and FDA regulations, including the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004. Any materials identified as allergens within this Act (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans) are labeled within the ingredient line.
The FDA has issued a proposed rule on gluten-free labeling, allowing food products containing less than 20 ppm of gluten (sourced from wheat, rye, barley, oats or cross-bred hybrids), to be considered gluten-free. [Federal Register: January 23, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 14)]
All U.S. Wrigley chewing gum and confection products have been assessed to be gluten-free with the exception of the products listed below, which contain ingredient(s) derived from wheat or are made on shared equipment that also processes products with wheat and may contain trace amounts of gluten.
Accordingly, these products are labeled as containing wheat-derived ingredients:
• Altoids® Chocolate Dipped Mints (made on equipment that also processes wheat which is stated in the “Allergy Information” line)
• Altoids® Smalls® Peppermint Mints (contains wheat maltodextrin which is stated in the ingredient line)
• Hubba Bubba® Gummi Tape Candy (contains wheat flour and wheat fiber which is stated in the ingredient line)
• Lucas® and Skwinkles® Branded Candy Strips (contains wheat flour and wheat fiber which is stated in the ingredient line)
If your sensitivity extends to other types of gluten or if you are extremely sensitive to gluten sourced from wheat, rye, barley, oats or cross-bred hybrids, then you may want to consult with your physician prior to consuming our products.
We hope this information has been helpful. If you have any additional questions or comments please feel free to contact us at 1-800-WRIGLEY Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST.
Sincerely,
Meridith Powers
Consumer Care Representative”
Thanks for this website – this is so difficult. I want chicken rice soup but I guess it has gluten.
Hi Bonnie,
You are very welcome. Some broths contain gluten while others do not. You can make this Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup with rice instead of noodles: http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-chicken-noodle-soup/. For brands of gluten free chicken broth see http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-product-list. I do not recall if it is on page 1 or 2.
Take care,
Carla
Snickers and Snickers dark are listed on BOTH safe and non safe lists above, which is right?
ALL York patties are listed on the Hershey company site on specific Gluten free list. (See link below)
http://www.thehersheycompany.com/brands/special-nutrition.aspx#/Gluten-Free
Whoppers aren’t gluten free. It specifically says “contains wheat” on the package.
Thanks for the update, Katie! I’ve noted it above. As you can see, this list was created in 2010. Ingredients are constantly changing.
Carla
Until the FDA requires it, so many won’t!
I agree. This is a liability issue for them.
Hello! I have been running around, checking bags of Skittles Original over the last couple of days. They are clearly labeled “gluten free” still on packages of all sizes.
Thanks so much, Diana! There are many manufacturers who just will not commit to stating anything is gluten-free and they all suggest to read labels.
No more Reese’s? They used to be on the GF list and I love them. I guess I love them to death now :( It makes sense though, I’ve been trying to figure out what I’ve had that’s caused my reaction, and that could be it.
Hi Phil,
Hershey’s suggest that you check all labels and that they will list anything in an ingredient that may contain gluten. I believe they are referring to such items as artificial flavoring, flavoring, etc. Ingredients often change with all manufacturers, therefore, they all suggest that you read each label. One of my readers checked her child’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup packages 2 days ago and it had nothing in it that referred to gluten. Then she went to the store and checked other candy labels and found that Snicker’s was no longer gluten-free. I haven’t added this to the list, as I have not checked it myself and who knows if that will change in the near future. I will, however, update this list on occasion. Check back!
A few weeks ago I contacted them and they said that Except for seasonally shaped items and BIG cups, all Reeses’ peanut butter CUPS are gluten free.
Thanks for the valuable info. It was a real eye opener.
You are very welcome, Steve!
this list misses a lot of organic and all natural candies that are gluten free such as Candy Tree licorice and lollipops.
Thanks for pointing this out, Joseph. We were trying to first list the candies that most people give out for Halloween to prevent anyone with celiac disease from getting sick. Stay tuned for more soon. Perhaps you can list here which ones are organic and natural. That would be great!