I’ve updated the Valentine Candy List. I made some changes to the list, as I did to the Halloween Candy list last October.

How I created my list. First of all, you should know that the category I put the candy in is determined by me, a concerned parent, based on reading the ingredients, allergy statements, and cross-contamination warnings on candy packages I find in the stores in our area. I also review websites for product information and contact companies if necessary. If you see a date after the product, then that is the last date I actually read the label. If there is no date, then I reviewed and/or updated the information last month. If you see any statements in quotation marks, that means I have taken the wording directly from the packaging. If, while I’m shopping, I read allergy statements that refer to other allergens, I may include them in my list for people avoiding them. But, since I am concerned solely with gluten, I don’t always list all of the allergens. It’s always best if you can check the ingredients of the candy yourself because it can vary if they were packaged or manufactured in different facilities or on different dates. But let’s face it, there is a lot of different candy out there. So, I hope this helps some of you.

I’ve reorganized the Valentine Candy List like the Halloween Candy List. The first, green section is candy that I believe to be safe for people avoiding gluten. I didn’t find any questionable ingredients on the labels, nor did I find cross-contamination warnings. Or, I was able to confirm with the company through their website or emails that the candy is safe. The second section I created is for questionable candies. These are candies that appear to have no gluten in the ingredients. However, I feel uncertain about its gluten status, or the candy packaging may include a statement that warns of possible cross-contamination with gluten. Whatever the case, I have listed the reason for being in this section so you can determine what you are comfortable eating. I personally do not eat any candy unless it is in the safe, green section. The last, red section is for the Unsafe Candy. This is the candy that I would tell anyone on a gluten-free diet to avoid. The packaging labels clearly state that the candy has gluten in the ingredients.

Now, my disclosure statement: I’m not a doctor, nor an expert about candy or gluten. I’m simply someone who has been trying to keep gluten out of my family’s diet for 5+ years. I hope that the information I’ve provided helps other families, too. If you find additions or corrections to make to the list, please put them in the comments so that others may benefit from the information. Thanks. Enjoy your Valentine’s Day Candy!

Gluten-Free (Safe) Candy and Treats

• 3 Musketeers cherry with dark chocolate mini’s (Feb. 2011)
• Andes creme de menthe Valentine Sweet Heart Assortment (Feb. 2011)
• Albert’s Luv Pops, Sweet Swirl Suckers, and Heart Blossoms (Feb. 2011)
• Almond Joy snack size (Feb. 2011)
  
• Animal Planet fruit-flavored lollipops (Jan. 2010)
• Baby Ruth (Feb. 2011)
• Betty Crocker Valentine Fruit by the Foot – “Gluten Free” (Jan. 2010)
• Bottle Caps Wonka (Feb. 2011)
• Butterfinger hearts – contains peanuts. “Made on equipment that also processes nuts.” (Feb. 2011)
• Cella’s Cherries, milk chocolate covered cherries (Feb. 2011)
  
• Charms Blow Pops and Valentine Pops (Feb. 2011)
  
• Charms Zip-a-dee mini pops (Feb. 2011)
  
• DeMets Turtles – “Contains pecan, milk and soy ingredients. Made on equipment that also processes other nuts and peanuts.” (Feb. 2011)
  
• Disney Lollipop Rings -Flix Candy (Jan. 2010)
• Disney lollipops packaged with Valentine cards (including Tinkerbell, Cars, and Toy Story characters) The ones I found this year did not have any warning of gluten. (Feb. 2011) Last year’s packages had the following statement: “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, milk, wheat and egg products.”
• Dots - including Valentine Dots (Feb. 2011)
  
• Dove Heart Promises, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, dark chocolate and cherry swirl, and caramel candy (Feb. 2011)
• Dum-Dums lollipops “Gluten Free” (Feb. 2011)
• Everlasting Gobstopper Heartbreakers – Wonka (Feb. 2011)
  
• Florida’s Natural Au’some Sour String, Nuggets, and Stiks (Feb. 2011)
• Fun Dips – Wonka (Feb. 2011)
• Galerie Candy Jewelry Making Kit (Jan. 2010)
• Galerie Diamond Ring with candy treats (Jan. 2010)
• Galerie Marshmallow Cupcake lollipops (Feb. 2011)
• Ghirardelli chocolate squares, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel and dark chocolate with raspberry (Feb. 2011)
• Hershey Bliss chocolates including dark chocolate, milk chocolate, milk chocolate with meltaway centers, and milk chocolate with raspberry meltaway centers “Manufactured on the same equipment that processes peanuts and tree nuts.” (Feb. 2011)
• Hershey Kisses (includes milk chocolate, filled with caramel, cherry cordial creme, with almonds, Hugs, Hugs raspberry, and Valentine Card Kits) – These appear to be gluten-free, and my family has never noticed a reaction to eating them. However, I have gotten emails and comments from several people who say they have had reactions from eating them. (Feb. 2011)
• Hot Tamales – “Gluten Free” (Feb. 2011)
• Hershey’s Pot of Gold, including Premium Chocolates, Pecan Caramel Clusters, and Truffles (Feb. 2011)
• Hubba Bubba Max bubble gum, and bubble tape (Jan. 2010)
• iCarly Valentine Candy Card Kit – cards and lollipops (Feb. 2011)
• Jelly Belly conversation beans (Feb. 2011)
• Jolly Rancher candy – including heart-shaped lollipops (Feb. 2011)
• Juicee Gummee Baby Bears (Feb. 2009)
• Junior Mints Heart-Shaped (Feb. 2011)
• Laffy Taffy, small and long sticks – Wonka (Feb. 2011)
• Life Savers hard candy and lollipops, including Candy and Card Valentine Pack (Feb. 2011)
• Life Savers gummy candy, including Gummies, Big Ring Gummies, Candy and Card Valentine Pack (Feb. 2011)
• The Madelaine Chocolate Company milk chocolate hearts (Feb. 2011)
  
• Market Pantry’s Valentine Fruit Snacks distributed by Target (Feb. 2011)
• Marvel lollipops (as found Feb. 2009)
• M&Ms – fun size and mini’s packages, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanuts and peanut butter. Do not eat the M&M Pretzel variety. (Feb. 2011)
• Melster Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Hearts – “Manufactured on equipment that produces peanut and milk products.” (Feb. 2012)
• Mounds snack size (Feb. 2011)
  
• Palmer foil-wrapped chocolate hearts (Feb. 2011)
• Peeps marshmallow shapes, hearts and I?U, including Vanilla Crème, Raspberry, Dark or Milk Chocolate Covered, and Sugar-Free – “Gluten Free” (Feb. 2011)
• PEZ (Feb. 2011)
• Pixy Stix – Wonka (Feb. 2011)
• Pop Rocks popping candy (Jan. 2010)
• Reese’s peanut butter cups, snack-size treats, miniatures, and peanut butter hearts, but not the individually, foil-wrapped small hearts or the unwrapped mini cups (Feb. 2012)
• Reese’s Pieces (Feb. 2011)
• Skittles, including Candy ‘n Stickers Valentine Exchange Packs – “Gluten Free” (Feb. 2011)
• Smarties Valentine Love Hearts candy rolls “Contains none of the following: gluten (from wheat, barley, oats and rye), milk, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts or soybeans.” (Feb. 2011)
• Snickers fun-size and mini’s (Feb. 2011)
• Starburst - Original Gummibursts and Sweet Fiesta Fruit Chews are labeled “Gluten-Free” on their website. Other products and flavors do not list any gluten-conatining ingredients. (Feb. 2012)
• Sunny Seed Drops candy chocolate covered sunflower seeds – “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts/nuts.” (Feb. 2011)
• Surf Sweets Gummy candy – “Gluten Free” (Feb. 2011)
  
• Sweetheart Conversation Hearts including chocolate flavored hearts, large hearts, Dazzled Tarts, Twilight Saga New Moon Forbidden Fruits heart packages, and heart bracelet packages (Necco) [The large packages I found looked fine. However, I found some small boxes of these that had cross-contamination warnings.] (Feb. 2011)
• Toblerone (Feb. 2011)
• Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops, including snack bars, and vanilla and cherry fruit rolls (Feb. 2011)
• Warheads Extreme Sour candy (Feb. 2011)
• York Peppermint Pattie Hearts (Feb. 2011)
• Zachary Valentine Corn - nutritional information – “Contains Egg. Manufactured in a facility that processes products containing soy, milk, coconut, and peanut/tree nut ingredients.” (Feb. 2012)

Use Caution with the following treats. (May contain traces of gluten.)

• Air Heads “Manufactured in a facility that processes wheat flour.”
• All Brach’s candy I found, including conversation hearts, state “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and/or soy protein.”
• Bubblicious Bites “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, milk, wheat and eggs.”
• Choxie chocolate candy “May contain tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and egg.” (Jan. 2010)
• Disney lollipops packaged with Valentine cards (including Tinkerbell, Cars, and Toy Story characters) The ones I found this year did not have any warning of gluten. Last year’s packages had the following statement: “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, milk, wheat and egg products.”
• Dove milk chocolate Rose on a stick – no gluten listed in ingredients; however, it does state “Allergy Information: May contain peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat.”
• Dove dark chocolate raspberry Truffle Hearts – no gluten listed in ingredients; however, it does state “Allergy Information: May contain peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and eggs.”
• Godiva chocolates including the Gems – All Godiva packaged products I have found, as well as the chocolates displayed in their stores, have a warning: “May contain tree nuts, peanuts and wheat.”
• Guylian chocolates – “May contain traces of nuts and gluten.”
• Hershey’s Hearts Assortment, including milk chocolate, special dark, and extra creamy milk chocolate seem to be gluten-free. However, the Reese’s peanut butter hearts that may be in the same package with these, are NOT gluten-free.
• Hershey Kisses (includes milk chocolate, filled with caramel, cherry cordial creme, with almonds, Hugs, Hugs raspberry, and Valentine Card Kits) – These appear to be gluten-free, and my family has never noticed a reaction to eating them. However, I have gotten emails and comments from several people who say they have had reactions from eating them.
• Hollow Milk Chocolate Bear (http://www.barry-callebaut.com/) “Contains milk and soy. Made in a facility which also processes wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs.”
• Jube Jel Cherry Hearts (Brach’s cinnamon jelly hearts) – “Allergen Information: “Milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and soy may be present in the manufacturing or packaging area.”
• Littlest Pet Shop lollipops “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, milk, wheat (Jan. 2010)
• Love Duck with conversation heart candy (found at Target) “May contain milk, soy, peanut, tree nuts, wheat and egg.” (Jan. 2010)
• Nerds, boxes and ropes (Wonka) “Made in a facility that also processes wheat and egg.”
• Russel Stover chocolates – Every package I found had a cross contamination warning, whether it had gluten or not in the ingredients. “Products have been produced on shared equipment with peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and wheat.”
• Sassy Hearts treat packs (Brach’s) – “Allergen Information: Milk, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, soy and fish may be present in the manufacturing or packaging area.”
• Spongebob Squarepants Heart Shaped Gummy Krabby Patties – “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, wheat and eggs.”
• Spongebob Squarepants lollipops “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, milk, wheat and egg products.” (Jan. 2010)
• Sweetheart Conversation Hearts including chocolate flavored hearts, large hearts, Dazzled Tarts, Twilight Saga New Moon Forbidden Fruits heart packages, and heart bracelet packages (Necco) [The large packages I found looked fine. However, I found some small boxes of these that had cross-contamination warnings.]
• SweeTart Hearts (Wonka) “Made in a facility that also processes egg and wheat.”
• Treat Street Google Critters – “Processed in a facility which also processes milk, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, soy protein, eggs.”
• Whitman’s Chocolates – “Products have been produced on shared equipment with tree nuts, eggs, and wheat.”
• Wonka Valentine Mix Ups – Bottle Caps and Laffy Taffy seem to be gluten-free, however the Nerds in these packages have a cross-contamination statement that states “Made in a facility that also processes wheat and egg.”
• Wild About You Chocolate Decorative Hearts – “Made in a facility which also processes wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and egg.”

Unsafe Candy and Treats (Do not eat the following treats if you cannot tolerate gluten in your diet.)

• Any chocolate candy with crisps is likely to have wheat flour or barley malt, so check carefully.
• Crunch (Nestle) snack-size and hearts contains “barley malt“; “Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, nuts and wheat.”
• Disney Princesses Crispy Chocolaty Hearts contains “malt extract“; “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.” (Jan. 2010)
• Dora and Diego Crispy Chocolaty Hearts contains “malt extract“; “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.” (Jan. 2010)
• Ferrero Rocher contains “wheat flour.”
• Ghirardelli Luxe Milk Premium Assorted Chocolates in a heart box – contains “barley malt”
• Harry London assorted chocolates – Contains “wheat flour, gluten”
• Hershey’s Miniatures “Contains malt.”
• Hershey’s Cookies ‘n Crème snack size treats – contains “wheat flour”
• Kit Kat contains “wheat flour“
• Lindt chocolate candy contains “barley malt powder“
• Reese’s peanut butter filled chocolate hearts (this refers only to the small, individually foil-wrapped hearts) Contains “wheat flour.”
• M&M’s pretzel candies contain “wheat flour, malt”
• Spongebob Squarepants Crispy Chocolaty Hearts contains “malt extract“; “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.”
• SweeTart Hearts Gummies contains “wheat“
• Transformer Crispy Chocolaty Hearts contains “malt extract“; “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.” (Jan. 2010)
• Twix contains “wheat flour“
• Twizzlers cherry pull ‘n peel candy – contains “wheat flour”
• Whoppers contain “barley malt and wheat flour” and egg products.”

Didn’t find a candy on the list? I can’t possibly be prepared to know the gluten content for every candy my kids might get. When something new comes home with no ingredient label, I go to the Internet and try to look up the manufacturer online. Many will list the ingredients of their products online. But if you can’t find the list of ingredients, be sure to check out their FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) page. I often find that companies will address the gluten-free question there. And, if you’re lucky enough to have a phone number for the company, give them a call. If they can’t answer your question, then don’t eat it. Better safe than sorry, don’t you think?

Try my lists for Halloween Candy or Easter Candy.

The candy list is updated! I made some changes to the list because I get so many questions and comments. First of all, you should know that the category I put the candy in is determined by me, a concerned parent, based on reading the ingredients, allergy statements, and cross-contamination warnings on candy packages I find in the stores in our area. I also review websites for product information and contact companies if necessary. If you see a date after the product, that is the last date I actually read the label. If you see any statements in quotation marks, that means I have taken it directly from the packaging. If, while I’m shopping, I read allergy statements that refer to other allergens, I may include them in my list for people avoiding them. It’s always best if you can check the ingredients of the candy yourself because it can vary if they were packaged or manufactured in different facilities or on different dates. But let’s face it, there is a lot of different candy out there. So, I hope this helps some of you.

Second, I’ve reorganized the candy list a little. The first green section is candy that I believe to be safe for people avoiding gluten. I didn’t find any questionable ingredients on the labels, nor did I find cross-contamination warnings. Or, I was able to confirm with the company through their website or emails that the candy is safe. The second section I created is for questionable candies. These are candies that appear to have no gluten in the ingredients. However, I feel uncertain about its gluten status, or the candy packaging may include a statement that warns of possible cross-contamination with gluten. Whatever, the case, I have listed the reason for being in this section so you can determine what you are comfortable eating. I personally do not allow my kids to eat any candy unless it is in the safe, green section. The last red section is for the Unsafe Candy. This is the candy that I would not recommend to anyone on a gluten-free diet. The packaging labels clearly state that the candy has gluten in the ingredients. I color-coded the sections to make it easier to determine which list you were reading. Let me know if you think that it makes it easier to read or worse.

Now, my disclosure statement: I’m not a doctor, nor an expert about candy or gluten. I’m simply someone who has been trying to keep gluten out of my family’s diet for 5+ years. I hope that the information I’ve provided helps other families, too. If you find additions or corrections to make to the list, please put them in the comments so that others may benefit from the information. Thanks. I hope you have a Happy Halloween!

Gluten-Free (Safe) Candy and Treats

• 3 Musketeers Mint with dark chocolate Bar and Fun size
  
• Act II Popcorn Balls (Oct. 2009)
• Albert’s Gummy Eyeballs (Oct. 2009)
• Albert’s Iced Halloween pops (lollipops) (Oct. 2009)
• Almond Joy fun size bars “Manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts.”
  
• Baby Ruth bars and fun size
• Barrels of Candy by Treat Street
  
• Bazooka Big Mix (includes bubble gum, bubble gum filled candy, candy chews, and bubble gum filled lollipops) (Oct. 2009)
• Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot Wicked Webs Berry Wave mini feet
• Betty Crocker Halloween fruit flavored snacks (includes Fruit Gushers, Fruit Roll-ups, and Mini Rolls) – “Gluten Free”
• Bit•O•Honey (Oct. 2009)
  
• Butterfinger original bar and fun size
  
• Big Blow bubblegum (Oct. 2009)
• Black Forest Gummy Tarantulas
  
• Black Forest Gummy Fun Bugs Juicy Oozers
  
• Bubbly lollipop + gum (Oct. 2009)
• Candy Checkers (made for Target 2009)
• Caramel Apple Pops (lollipops made by Tootsie Roll)
• Charleston Chew fun size
  
• Charms Blow Pops and Blow Pop Minis “Milk and Soy may be present.”
• Charms Candy Carnival Package (Blow Pops, Sugar Babies, Zip a Dee mini pops, Sugar Daddy, Pops, Sugar Mama Caramel, Tear Jerkers sour bubble gum, Blow Pop Bubble Gum) (Oct. 2009)
• Charms Fluffy Stuff Spider Web cotton candy (Oct. 2009)
• Chewy Lemonheads and Friends
• Child’s Play “Produced in a facility that does not use peanuts, tree nuts, eggs or gluten.”
• Colombina Scary Eyeballs bubblegum (Oct. 2009)
• Colombina Fizzy Pops (Oct. 2009)
• Comix Mix Candy Sticks (Tom and Jerry, Flintstones, Scooby Doo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Popeye) – “Gluten Free” (Oct. 2009)
• Cracker Jack caramel coated popcorn and peanuts
• Disney Halloween Candy Mix (jelly beans, gummies, candy bracelets and candy characters from Cars, Tinkerbell and Toy Story) “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, milk and soy.”
• Dove pieces (Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate, Caramel Milk Chocolate)
• Dots Gumdrops – including Candy Corn Dots (candy corn flavored), Ghost Dots (assorted fruit flavored), and Bat Dots (blood orange flavored)
• Dubble Bubble bubblegum “Milk and Soy may be present.”
• Dum Dum Lollipops (including Shrek Pops) – “This product does not contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat or gluten. It has been manufactured on dedicated equipment.”
  
• Dum Dum Chewy Pops – “This product does not contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat or gluten. It has been manufactured on dedicated equipment.”
• Farley’s Kiddie Mix (includes Smarties, SweetTarts, Now and Later, Jaw Breakers, Super Bubble and Lolli-pops) (Oct. 2009)
• Ferrara Pan Caramels “This product contains milk and soy. This product distributed in a facility where peanuts and tree nuts are used in the production of other products.”
• Ferrara Pan Lemonhead & Friends candy mix (includes Applehead, Cherryhead, Grapehead, Chewy Lemonhead & Friends, Chewy Atomic Fireball, and Red Hots)
  
• Florida’s Natural Healthy Treats Nuggets, Sour String, Fruit Stiks – “Gluten Free” (Oct. 2009)
• Fright Fingers Popcorn Kit (Oct. 2009)
• Frankford’s Bugs Gummy Candy (Oct. 2009) *reports of quality issues this year, see comments below*
  
• Frankford’s Gummy Body Parts (Oct. 2009) *reports of quality issues this year, see comments below*
• Frankford’s Marshmallow Pals (Oct. 2009) *reports of quality issues this year, see comments below*
• Game Night boxes of candy game pieces (includes Operation, Sorry!, Monopoly, Life, and Clue) (Oct. 2009)
• Grave Gummies (Yummy Gummies) (Oct. 2009)
• Gummy Pirate Choppers (Oct. 2009)
• Heath milk chocolate English toffee bar snack size “Contains almonds.”
• Hershey’s Bliss (Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Milk Chocolate with Meltaway Center, White Chocolate with Meltaway Center, Milk Chocolate with Raspberry Meltaway Center, Dark Chocolate)
• Hershey’s Kisses (Candy Corn flavored candy, Caramel, Caramel Apple flavored filling, Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Meltaway, Pumpkin Spice, Hugs, Hugs & Kisses, Cherry Cordial Creme, Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Special Dark)
• Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars and snack-size bars “Manufactured on the same equipment that processes almonds.”
• Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds bars and snack-size bars
• Hershey’s Mr. Goodbar fun size (Oct. 2009)
• Hot Tamales – “Gluten Free” (Oct. 2009)
• Humphrey Popcorn Balls (Oct. 2009)
• Jelly Belly jelly beans
  
• Jelly Belly candy corn “Manufactured in a plant that processes peanuts.”
  
• Jolly Rancher hard candy and Doubles Candy
• Jolly Rancher Hard Candy Stix, Lollipops and Fruit Chews
• Jr. Mints fun size “Milk and eggs may be present.”
• Jujyfruits (Oct. 2009)
• Kellogg’s Spongebob Squarepants fruit flavored snacks (Oct. 2009)
• Kraft Jet-Puffed Boo Mallows and Ghost Mallows marshmallows
• Lemonheads
  
• LifeSavers Gummies including Big Ring Gummies, Sweet ‘n’ Sour, and Scary Assortment
• M&M’s (original, peanut, peanut butter)
• Mallo Cup (Oct. 2009)
• Marvel Heroes Candy Sticks (Hulk, Spiderman, Wolverine) – “Gluten Free.”
• Melster Peanut Butter Kisses (Oct. 2009)
• Milk Duds
• Mike and Ike – “Gluten Free”
• Mini Mentos (Oct. 2009)
• Mini Sour Dudes Straws (Oct. 2009)
• Monstaz Pops (jack-o-lantern lollipops) (Oct. 2009)
• Monster Hunt plastic monster eggs filled with candy bones, skulls and pumpkins (made for Target 2009)
• Mounds dark chocolate fun size bars “Manufactured on the same equipment that processes almonds. Manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts.”
• Mr. Goodbar
• Necco’s Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses “Contains peanuts and soy. Manufactured in a facility that also processes tree nuts, milk, and eggs.”
• Necco’s Sky Bar 4 in 1 chocolate bar (Oct. 2009)
• Nestle Milk Chocolate fun size bars (Oct. 2009)
• Nestle Raisinets (milk chocolate) fun size “Made on equipment that also processes peanuts.”
• Nik-L-Nip wax bottles with juice
• Now and Later
• Operation Gummy Candy (Oct. 2009)
• Palmer Peanut Butter Cups (Oct. 2009)
• Pay Day peanut caramel bar snack size
• Peanut M&M’s
• Pearson’s Bun candy (maple and roasted peanuts) (Oct. 2009)
• Peeps Jack-o-lanterns, Ghosts and Chocolate Mousse Cats – “Gluten Free”
• Pez candy – “Gluten Free”
• Pop Rocks
• Rain•Blo Bubble Gum Eyes of Terror (Oct. 2009)
• Raisinets
• Razzles candy gum
• Reese’s Fast Break candy bars and snack size
  
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups snack size and miniatures
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins
• Reese’s Pieces
• Reese’s Select Peanut Butter Cremes
• Reese’s Select Clusters
• Reese’s Whipps
• Rolo chocolate covered caramels
• Sixlets
• Skeleton Pops (lollipops) (Oct. 2009)
• Skittles includes Original, Sour, Wild Berry, Fizzl’d Fruits, and Crazy Core – “Gluten Free”
• Smarties (this is the small candies sold in rolls, not Nestle’s chocolate candies) – “Contains none of the following: gluten (from wheat, barley, oats and rye), milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, or soy beans.”
• Snickers bars, fun size and mini’s “May contain almonds.”
• Snickers Fudge bar mini’s (Oct. 2009)
• Sour Patch (Oct. 2009)
• Starburst Fruit Chews includes Original, Sour and Sweet, and Tropical – “Gluten Free”
  
• Starburst Gummibursts and Sour Gummibursts – “Gluten Free”
• Sugar Babies caramel candies
• Sugar Daddy Caramel Pops
• Super Bubble bubble gum
• Swedish Fish treat size
  
• Sweethearts conversation hearts Forbidden Fruits (candy packaging of The Twilight Saga, New Moon the movie) (Oct. 2009)
• Sweet’s Candy Corn Taffy – “This product is Gluten Free. Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and tree nuts.”
• Tootsie Pops (original and miniatures)
• Tootsie Rolls midgies and snack bars
• Transformers Candy Mix (gummy shields, fruit chews, candy shields, gum rocks) (Oct. 2009)
• Wack-O-Wax lips and fangs
• Warheads (Extreme Sour hard candy and Sour QBZ chewy cubes)
• Wonka Chocolate Laffy Taffy (Oct. 2009)
• Wonka Pixy Stix (original and giant)
• Wonka Laffy Taffy (original, Howlin’ Laffy Taffy, and Ropes)
• Wonka Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip
• X-scream Mouth Morphers Fruit Gushers – “Gluten Free” (Oct. 2009)
• York Peppermint Patties Pumpkins

.

Use Caution with these treats. (May contain traces of gluten.)

• Air Heads – “Manufactured in a facility that processes wheat flour.”
• Brach’s Autumn Mix – “Milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and soy are present on the manufacturing equipment.”
• Brach’s Candy Corn – “Milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and soy are present on the manufacturing equipment.”
• Brach’s Caramel Candy Corn – “Milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and soy are present on the manufacturing equipment.”
• Brach’s Mellowcreme Pumpkins – “Milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and soy are present on the manufacturing equipment.”
• Brach’s Milk Maid Caramel Apple Candy Corn – “Milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and soy are present on the manufacturing equipment.”
• Brach’s Milk Maid Royals Nougats  “Manufactured in a facility that also manufactures products containing traces of wheat, peanuts and/or tree nuts.”
• Chuckles Ju Jubes – “Packed on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and/or soy protein.” (Oct. 2009)
• Farley’s Harvest Mix and Candy Corn – “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and/or soy protein.” (Oct. 2009)
• Hershey’s Nuggets (Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Milk Chocolate with Toffee and Almonds, Special Dark, Special Dark with Almonds) There does not appear to be any gluten in the ingredients, nor does the packaging have a statement warning of possible cross-contamination. There are, however, some readers who have said that they have had reactions to these. That doesn’t mean these candies do have gluten, but if you are like some other readers, you may experience similar reactions.
• Palmer Fright Bites (vampire teeth) – “Manufactured on equipment which also processes peanuts, wheat, and tree nuts” (Oct. 2009)
• Palmer Bag of Boo’s fudge bars – “Manufactured on equipment which also processes peanuts, wheat, and tree nuts” (Oct. 2009)
• Palmer Tricky Treats (mix of Googly Eyes, Boneheads, and Pumpkin Patch chocolate candies) – “Manufactured on equipment which also processes wheat, peanut butter and tree nuts.” Be very careful with these Palmer candies. I found another package labeled Palmer Trick or Treat Mix that contains barley malt.
• Russel Stover’s Assorted Chocolates – “Products have been produced on shared equipment with peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and wheat.” (Oct. 2009)
• Spongebob Squarepants Gummy Krabby Patties – “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds, wheat, and eggs.”
• Trolli gummy candy Sour Frite Crawlers – “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and/or soy protein.”
• Wonka Nerds – “Made in a facility that also processes wheat and egg.”
• Wonka SweeTarts Boo Bag – (Packages of SweeTarts, SweeTarts Twist and Mini Chewy SweeTarts were labeled with “Made in a facility that also processes egg and wheat.”)
• Wonka Mix-Ups (SweeTarts Skulls and Bones, Bottle Caps, Spooky Nerds, Howlin’ Laffy Taffy) The Laffy Taffy did not have a warning, but the other candies were labeled with this warning: – “Made in a facility that also processes egg and wheat.”
• Wonka Monster Treats (SweeTarts Skulls and Bones, Spooky Nerds, Howlin’ Laffy Taffy) The Laffy Taffy did not have a warning, but the other candies were labeled with this warning: – “Made in a facility that also processes egg and wheat.”
• Wonka Giant and Mini Chewy SweeTarts – “Made in a facility that also processes wheat.”
• Wonka SweeTarts – “Made in a facility that also processes egg and wheat.”
• Wonka SweeTarts Variety Mix – “Made in a facility that also processes egg and wheat.”
• Zed Candy Skulls and Bones (fruit flavored hard candy) (Oct. 2009) Not sure if these candies are out this year (2010). Last year, there were news reports of recalling this candy due to foreign material being present. To be clear, I saw no indication of them containing gluten.

.

Unsafe Candy and Treats (Do not eat these if you cannot tolerate gluten in your diet.)

• 100 Grand – contains barley malt “Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, egg, and soy.”
• Butterfinger Crisp – contains wheat flour
• Chex Mix – contains wheat
• Clark Bar Wicked Mix (includes mini Clark, Dark Clark, Clark Coconut and Clark Peanut Butter Crunch) – contains malt flavoring, peanuts, milk, soy, wheat and barley. “Processed in a facility that also processes eggs and tree nuts.” (Oct. 2009)
• Farley’s Chewy Mix (includes Caramel Creams, Bit-O-Honey, Slo Poke and Assorted Toffees) – contains wheat flour (Oct. 2009)
• Frankford Fun Size Mix (Peanut Butter, Caramel and Crispy Chocolate Covered Candies) Crispy Candies contain malt extract, Contains milk and peanuts.
• Goetze’s Caramel Creams – contains wheat flour
• Good & Plenty – contains wheat. (Oct. 2009)
• Hershey’s Cookies & Creme snack size bars – contains wheat flour “Manufactured on same equipment that processes almonds.”
• Hershey’s Kisses Cookies and Creme – contains wheat flour
• Hershey’s miniatures – contains malt
• Hershey’s Take 5 Bar – contains wheat flour
• Keebler Gripz Chips Deluxe cookies – contains wheat flour (Oct. 2009)
• Kit Kat snack size – contains wheat flour “Manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts.”
• Lindt milk chocolate with smooth filling truffle balls with jack-o-lantern wrapping – contains barley malt powder
• Milky Way bars, fun size and mini’s – contains malted barley “May contain peanuts.”
• Mini Oreo packs – contains wheat flour
• Nestle Crunch bars and fun size – contains barley malt; “Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, nuts and wheat“
• Nestle Crunch Crisp – contains wheat flour and barley malt
• Palmer Double Crisp Googly Eyes – contains barley malt; “Manufactured on equipment which also processes peanuts, wheat, and tree nuts” (Oct. 2009)
• Palmer Double Crisp Monster Munny – contains barley malt; “Manufactured on equipment which also processes peanuts, wheat, and tree nuts” (Oct. 2009)
• Palmer Ghostly Goodies – contains barley malt; “Manufactured on equipment which also processes peanuts, wheat, and tree nuts” (Oct. 2009)
• Palmer Trick or Treat Mix – contains barley malt “Manufactured on equipment which also processes wheat, peanut butter and tree nuts.”
• Pepperidge Farm Goldfish cheddar crackers – contains wheat flour
• Quaker Chewy Fright Night Chocolate Chip granola bars – contains rolled oats, malted barley, whole grain rolled wheat, whole wheat flour (Oct. 2009)
• Reese’s Sticks wafer bars – contains wheat flour (Oct. 2009)
• Rice Krispies Treats mini squares – contains malt flavoring (Oct. 2009)
• Riesen Chocolate Caramels – “Contains milk, wheat, and soybeans. Processed in a facility where peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and other tree nuts are found.”
• Ritz Bits peanut butter sandwiches – contains wheat flour (Oct. 2009)
• Snyder’s Pretzel snack sacks – contains wheat flour (Oct. 2009)
• Stauffer’s Animal Crackers – contains wheat flour (Oct. 2009)
• Teddy Grahams packs – contains wheat flour (Oct. 2009)
• Toad-Ally Snax Popcorn Plus – contains wheat flour and malt “May contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, wheat, and eggs.”
• Twix fun size – contains wheat flour “May contain peanuts.”
• Twizzlers (twists and rainbow twists) – contains wheat flour
• Twizzlers Pull-n-Peel Candy – contains wheat flour
• Utz Halloween Pretzel treats – contains wheat flour and malt syrup (derived from barley) (Oct. 2009)
• Whoppers – contains barley malt and wheat flour

History of my Halloween Candy List:

Ever since my kids started getting candy from trick-or-treating, I’ve been trying to figure out which candy has gluten and which doesn’t. It was easy in the beginning because they didn’t really get much candy, and I could always just throw it out (or give away to non-celiacs) without them realizing it. Then, I found the list that circulates around the web every year. It’s a list that Melonie Katz and many other parents of celiac children put together. They combined resources to look up ingredients and call companies to get a list of safe and unsafe candies for celiacs. Here is the 2009 GF Candy List .

Then, my kids started having Halloween parties at school, and getting more candy from trick-or-treating. Sometimes, they would get some unusual candies that you only see at Halloween time. They are a little more difficult to look up online. As a result, I just started reading all the packages of candy in stores. I started doing it just casually, out of curiosity. Then, I started to write it down, so I could better remember come Halloween night. Now, I go to several stores (grocery, discount, dollar, etc.) to see what candy our neighbors and classmates might be offering for Halloween treats. Since not everyone is as crazy as me, I thought I would share with you my findings.

Some items to note: 1) Cadbury's Creme Eggs don't have gluten listed in their ingredients this year. Yay! 2) The original Reese's peanut butter eggs and even the small size do not have gluten in the ingredients. However, there is wheat flour in the the Reese's miniature candies that are foil-wrapped, including the mini Reester Bunnies. Boo!

I've done my best to make accurate updates, and will continue to do so as I find more this month. If you happen to find a mistake, or question the gluten safety of the candy, please add a comment below so everyone can read and benefit from the discussion. Thanks, and have a Happy Easter!]

So I’ve been shopping at our local discount and grocery stores for gluten-free Easter candy. You’ll find my list of Safe and Unsafe Candy below. My determination of “Safe Gluten-Free Candy” and “Unsafe Candy” is based solely on me reading package labels at the stores in my area. After each “unsafe” candy, I have noted why I chose to consider it unsafe. Whether it has gluten in the ingredients or the possibility of trace amounts due to cross-contamination,  you can decide for yourself. Please keep in mind that products do vary their packaging and labeling, so it’s always best if you read the labels yourself. However, I know sometimes that isn’t always possible, especially this time of year when our kids are going to community egg hunts. So, here’s what I found in our stores. I hope it helps and gives you peace of mind while you enjoy the “Safe” Easter candies.

Safe Gluten-Free Candy

Jelly Beans

• Gimbal’s Jelly Beans
• Jelly Belly Jelly Beans (including original and sour flavors)
• Just Born Jelly Beans (including original fruit flavored, licorice flavored (black), berry flavored, and spice flavored)
• Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans (including fruit smoothie flavors)
• Lifesaver Jellybeans
• Mike and Ike Jelly Beans
• Nerds Bumpy Jelly Beans (Wonka) (Be careful. This had cross-contamination warnings on the packages I found last year.)
• Russel Stover Pectin Jelly Beans
• Spree Jelly Beans (Cherry, Lemon and Green Apple)
• Starburst Jellybeans (original, tropical, and red fruits)
• SweeTart Jelly Beans (Be careful. This had cross-contamination warnings on the packages I found last year.)
• Teenee Beanee Jelly Beans (including Island Breeze, Americana Medley, and Country Retreat flavored packages)

Plastic Eggs Pre-filled with Candy

• Bee Flowers and Fairies Egg Hunt (includes Smarties, Super Bubble bubble gum, Taffy Werks, Jelly Bean Werks, and Lemonheads)
• Bee Sport Ball Eggs (includes Smarties, Super Bubble bubble gum, Taffy Werks, Jelly Bean Werks, and Lemonheads)
• Bee Noah’s Ark Easter Egg Hunt (includes Smarties, Super Bubble bubble gum, Taffy Werks, Jelly Bean Werks, and Lemonheads)
• Bug Collector Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Mmmm…Cupcakes Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Red Hots, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Peace and Love Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Red Hots, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Dress Up Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Farm Friends Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Game Time Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Glow in the Dark Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Red Hots, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Nighttime Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Outdoor Adventure Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Pet Shop Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Rainforest Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Speedster Cars Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Wonka Egg Hunt with a Golden Egg (includes Nerds, Laffy Taffy, and SweeTarts)
• Wonka Egg Hunt Zero Gravity (includes Nerds, Laffy Taffy, and SweeTarts)
• Wonka Egg Hunt Hard 2 Find (includes Nerds, Runts, and SweeTarts)

Other Easter Candy

• Almond Joy Eggs
• Andes Creme de Menthe Thins
• Brach’s Jelly Bean Nougats
• For Butterfinger candy, look under Nestle
• Cadbury Chocolate candy manufactured by the Hershey Company in the US. 1-800-468-1714
  • Cadbury Caramello Bunnies (as found Mar. 2009)
  • Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Bunny
  • Cadbury hollow milk chocolate egg filled with Cadbury mini-eggs — No gluten ingredients are listed, however “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients.
  • Cadbury mini-chocolate eggs – Royal Dark and Dairy Milk Chocolate — No gluten ingredients are listed, however “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients: [Milk chocolate ingredients: "milk chocolate (sugar; milk; chocolate; cocoa butter; lactose; soy lecithin; PGPR, emulsifier; artificial and natural flavors); sugar; contains 2% or less of: cornstarch; gum acacia; artificial color (yellow 6 lake; blue 2 lake; yellow 5; blue 2; red 40); ethyl vanillin artificial flavor."]
  • Cadbury Creme Eggs — This year, the regular and mini eggs I found did not have gluten listed in the ingredients. However, “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients. (Last year “Glucose (wheat)” was listed in the ingredients. Many Celiacs consider the glucose, even from wheat, to be gluten-free due to all the processing.)
  • Cadbury Caramel Eggs — This year, the regular and mini eggs I found did not have gluten listed in the ingredients. However, “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients. (Last year “Glucose (wheat)” was listed in the ingredients. Many Celiacs consider the glucose, even from wheat, to be gluten-free due to all the processing.)
  • Cadbury Orange Creme Eggs
• Carousel Bubble Gum Eggs
• Carousel Easter Egg Surprise Lollipops (as found Mar. 2009)
• Charms Blow Pops and Blow Pop Minis
• Cry Baby Eggs
• Dairy Good Easter bunnies (chocolate flavored, foil-wrapped)
• Dairy Good Easter eggs (chocolate eggs)
• Dairy Good Chocolate and White Chocolate Crosses
• Disney Princess plastic eggs with candy and stickers inside
• Dove Chocolate products are all gluten-free according to a message on their consumer line (1-800-551-0704).
  • Dove Chocolate Eggs (including milk chocolate, milk chocolate almond, peanut butter, and dark chocolate varieties)
  • Dove Fairy Bunny hollow milk chocolate
  • Dove Solid Chocolate Bunnies, milk chocolate Ingredients: milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, skim milk, milkfat, lactose, chocolate processed with alkali, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavors). Allergy Information: May contain peanuts.
  • Dove Solid Chocolate Bunnies, dark chocolate
  • Dove Truffle Eggs
• Dubble Bubble Eggs (egg-shaped bubble gum) and Speckled Bubble Gum
• Easter Bunny Egg-head family filled with Power Candy
• Farley’s Kiddie Mix includes Now & Laters, Jawbreakers, Super Bubble bubble gum, Tootsie Roll Midgees, Sassy Tarts and Smarties
• Florida Natural Healthy Treats fruit snacks eggs (as found Mar. 2009)
• Frankford Marshmallow Chicks and Bunnies
• Fun Dip (Wonka)
• Gimbal’s candies, all varieties (see allergen statement)
• Hershey’s chocolate candy
  • Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bunnies, Springtime Flowers, and Crosses
  • Hershey’s milk chocolate hollow egg with candy-coated milk chocolate eggs inside
  • Hershey’s candy-coated milk chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate Speedy Bunny and Princess Bunny
  • Hershey’s milk chocolate hollow Bunny
  • Hershey’s milk chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Marshmallow Eggs
• Hershey’s Bliss chocolate candy
  • Hershey’s Bliss milk chocolate eggs with a meltaway center
  • Hershey’s Bliss dark chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Bliss Hollow Milk Chocolate Bunny
• Hershey’s Kisses
  • Hershey’s Kisses filled with Caramel
  • Hershey’s Kisses with Almond
• Lifesaver hard candies – Original and Pastels
• Lifesaver Eggsortment (including jellybeans, gummies and pops)
• Lifesaver Gummies – Original, and Bunnies and Eggs
• Lindt white and dark chocolate bunnies as well as Lindt Chocolate Carrots did not have any gluten listed in the ingredients, but are at risk of cross-contamination. (See Lindt listing below.)
• Melster Chocolate Flavored Marshmallow Bunnies
• M&M’s — original, peanut, Speck-tacular Eggs, and Bunny Mix
• Mounds Eggs (as found Mar. 2009)
• Nestle’s Nest Eggs (Nestle’s Crunch Nest Eggs are not gluten-free.)
• Nestle’s milk chocolate Nest Eggs
• Nestle’s creamy caramel Nest Eggs
• Nestle’s Butterfinger chocolate Nest Eggs
• Nestle’s Butterfinger Creme Eggs
• Palmer Holiday Candy see their website for gluten-free candy. One of our readers, Kristin, also noted in the comments that she found that the hollow chocolate bunnies that had hard candy eyes and other body parts often stated that they were “processed with wheat.” The ones that were simply chocolate and wrapped in foil didn’t have that statement.
  • Palmer’s Bunny Bites foil-wrapped eggs (includes both soft caramel and peanut butter flavors)
  • Palmer’s Baby Binks hollow milk chocolate bunny
  • Palmer’s Bunnyettes (milk chocolate)
  • Palmer’s Butter Cream Flavored eggs
  • Palmer’s Carrot Patch Pete (solid milk chocolate bunny)
  • Palmer’s Fudge Filled Big Ears (foil-wrapped bunnies with big ears)
  • Palmer’s Hollow Bunnies (milk flavored and milk chocolate flavored)
  • Palmer’s Little Beauty milk chocolate bunny
  • Palmer’s Milk Chocolate Flavored and premium milk chocolate eggs
  • Palmer’s Peanut Butter Filled  chocolate eggs
  • Palmer Poppin’ Rockin’ Egg (hollow egg filled with Pop Rocks)
  • Palmer’s Soft Caramel Cups
  • Palmer’s Super Sports Balls
  • Palmer’s Quax hollow milk flavored candy duck (“The Yummy Ducky”) — Be careful with this one. In one store, this statement was included on the boxes: “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter and other tree nuts.” In other stores, this statement was not on the boxes. Made in different facilities?
• Peeps (all shapes and colors) — “Gluten Free”
• Peeps milk chocolate covered marshmallow
• PEZ candy
• Pixy Stix Green Grass (Wonka)
• Giant Pixy Stix (Wonka)
• Pop Rocks in plastic egg
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate candy
  • Reese’s Easter Assortment Eggs (including peanut butter eggs, white peanut butter eggs, and miniatures) – This does not include the foil-wrapped mini eggs, which do have gluten.
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup miniatures
  • Reese’s Pieces Pastel Eggs
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs – large and small size, but not the foil-wrapped mini eggs (see Unsafe list below)
  • Reese’s Reester Bunny — large size only, but not the mini-sized (see Unsafe list below)
• Ring pops
• Sixlets
• Skittles eggs and fun-size
• Smarties candy rolls “Contain none of the following: gluten (from wheat, barley, oats and rye), milk, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, or soybeans.”
• Snickers mini’s
• Sour Patch Bunnies
• Starburst fruit chews – funsize
• Swedish Fish Eggs soft and chewy candy
• Sunny Seed Drops chocolate covered sunflower seeds
• Tootsie Rolls (including midgees and fruit rolls)
• Tootsie Pops
• Wonka Everlasting Gobstopper Eggbreakers
• Wonka Giant Pixy Stix
• Wonka Hoppin’ Nerds
• Wonka Runts Freckled Eggs
• York Peppermint Patties
• Zachary real chocolate Marshmallow Eggs
• Zachary solid milk chocolate Bunnies
• Zipperz Lollipops (as found Mar. 2009)

Unsafe Candy (may contain gluten)

Jelly Beans

• Brach’s Jelly Bird Eggs (includes classic, black, orchard fruit, and premium tiny jelly-bird eggs) — “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and/or soy protein.”
• Brach’s Hawaiian Punch Jelly Beans — “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and/or soy protein.”
• Sour Patch Jelly Beans — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, wheat, milk, soy, cashew nuts.”

Other Easter Candy

• Brach’s Chocolate Bunnies — “malt extract” is listed in the ingredients. “Manufactured on equipment that also manufactures products containing peanuts, tree nuts and wheat.”
• Child’s Play Easter Mix — “Packed on equipment that also manufactures products containing peanuts, tree nuts and wheat.” (as found Mar. 2009)
• Chick Feed sunflower seeds “May contain wheat, peanuts, and tree nuts.”
• Ferrero Rocher candy — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Frankford Cookies and Creme Eggs — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Frankford Crispy Eggs (milk chocolate flavored) — “malt extract, milk and soy” listed in ingredients. “Manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Frankford solid milk chocolate bunny — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Galerie Edible Easter Grass (imported from Germany) — “May contain wheat.” on label
• Hershey’s miniatures — “malt” listed in ingredients. “Allergy Information: May contain wheat.”
• Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme eggs — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Kit Kat Bunny Ears and Kit Kat minis — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Lindt Chocolate — Lindt US website addresses the question of gluten with this note: “Unfortunately, at this time we cannot guarantee that Lindt chocolate is gluten free. Our white and extra dark (70% cocoa and above) chocolate products by nature do not contain barley malt. However, because they run on the same production lines as other products there is a chance of cross contamination.”
• Lindt Lindor Truffles Eggs — “malt powder” listed in ingredients
• Lindt Assorted Chocolates with smooth filling — “barley malt powder” listed in ingredients
• Lindt milk chocolate bunnies (Gold Bunny, wrapped in gold foil) — “barley malt extract” listed in ingredients
• Lindt Bugs & Bees — “wheat and barley malt powder” in the ingredients.
• Lindt mini eggs, mini lamb, lamb, and mini chicks — “barley malt powder” listed in ingredients
• Mayfair Kid’s Play basket stuffers (including Fuit Chews, Teaberry Gumballs, Spout Bubble Log, Atomic Fireballs, Super Bubble bubble gum, Easter Pops, Jawbreakers, Airheads, Lemonhead, and Smarties) — “Packed in a facility that processes peanuts, nuts, milk products, soy protein, wheat, eggs and sesame seeds.”
• Mighty Malts Speckled Malted Milk Eggs — “malted barley and wheat flour” are listed in the ingredients.
• Milky Way minis — “malted barley” in ingredients
• Milky Way Bunnies — surprisingly, no gluten was listed in the ingredients; “Allergy Information: May contain peanuts, tree nuts, egg and wheat.”
• Nestle Butterfinger Egg with pieces in chocolate (this does not include the foil-wrapped eggs or the fun-size butterfingers) — “Made on equipment that also processes nuts and wheat.”
• Nestle Crunch Nest Eggs — “Barley Malt” listed as an ingredient. “Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, nuts and wheat.”
• PAAS eggs — “malt” listed in ingredients
• Palmer Holiday Candy see their website for gluten-free candy. One of our readers, Kristin, also noted in the comments that she found that the hollow chocolate bunnies that had hard candy eyes and other body parts often stated that they were “processed with wheat.” The ones that were simply chocolate and wrapped in foil didn’t have that statement.
  • Palmer’s Double Crisp chocolate candy (including Bunnies, Bunnyettes, Pops, Chick a Dees, Bunny Munny and Eggs) — “barley malt” listed in ingredients
  • Palmer’s Lil’ Crispy chocolate bunny — “malt” listed in ingredients. “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter, and tree nuts.”
  • Palmer’s My Little Bunny — “barley malt” listed in ingredients; “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter and tree nuts.”
  • Palmer’s Cookies ‘n Creme Eggs — “bleached wheat flour” is listed in ingredients. “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter, and tree nuts.”
  • Palmer’s Crispy Peanut Butter flavored eggs — “malt” listed in ingredients.
  • Palmer’s Eggbert Double Crisp — “Barley malt” listed in ingredients.
  • Palmer’s Quax hollow milk flavored candy duck (“The Yummy Ducky”) — Be careful with this one. In one store, this statement was included on the boxes: “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter and other tree nuts.” In other stores, this statement was not on the boxes. Made in different facilities?
• Peter Rabbit real milk chocolate bunny — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Peter Rabbit hollow milk chocolate bunny — “Manufactured on shared equipment that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, wheat and egg.”
• Reese’s milk chocolate and peanut butter eggs (mini eggs foil-wrapped individually) — “wheat flour” listed in the ingredients
• Reese’s mini-Reester Bunnies — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Russel Stover chocolate candy — With the exception of the jelly beans, every RS product I looked at had a similar statement of cross-contamination: “Products have been produced on shared equipment with peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and wheat.” Some of their products had additional allergens listed to those above.
• Snickers Eggs — “Allergy Information: May contain tree nuts, egg, and wheat.”
• Snickers Creme Sports Eggs — “Allergy Information: May contain tree nuts, egg, and wheat.”
• SpongeBob Squarepants Eggs plastic egg with sour candy and stickers — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds and wheat.”
• SpongeBob Squarepants gummy Krabby Patties — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds and wheat.”
• SweetTart Gummy Bunnies (Wonka) — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
• Trolli Gummi Bunnies — “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and/or soy protein.” (as found Mar. 2009)
• Twix — “Wheat Flour” listed in ingredients (as found Mar. 2009)
• Twizzlers candy
  • Twizzlers Tweeters — “wheat” listed as an ingredient (as found Mar. 2009)
  • Twizzlers Rainbow Twists — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
  • Twizted Strawberry Blast pull-n-peel candy — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
  • Twizzlers Strawberry Mini Bars — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
• Whitman’s Sampler — “Allergy Information: Products have been processed on shared equipment with tree nuts and wheat.”
• Whoppers Robin Eggs (includes mini-Robbin Eggs, too) — “barley malt and wheat flour” in ingredients
• Wonka’s eggs — “oat flour” listed as an ingredient; “Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, nuts and wheat.”
• Wonka Easter Nerds Rope — “Made in a facility that also processes wheat and egg.”
• Wonka Mix-Ups (including SweeTart chews, Laffy Taffy, SweeTarts, and Nerds) “Made in a facility that also processes wheat and egg.”

.

Notable Links:

• More information about Jelly Belly candy.
• Information on allergen-free Easter candy can be found at Sure Foods Living.
• Gluten Free Is Life also has a list of Easter candy safe for the gluten-free diet.
• Check out the recipe for making Chocolate Eggs in a Cookie Basket.
• More gluten-free candy lists for Halloween Candy and Valentine Candy.

In response to a question of the gluten content of their candies, the Ferrara Pan company emailed us the following:

“Below are Ferrara gluten free products. There is no wheat, oats, rye or
barley contained in the products below. You can enjoy them all.

• All Gummies Ferrara or Black Forest Gummy Bear
• All Jellies (Gum Drops, Orange Slices, etc…)
• All the Headlines (Lemonhead, Applehead, Grapehead, etc…)
• All Jujus
• All Jelly Beans
• All Fruit Snacks
• Sour Jacks
• Cherry Sours
• Boston Baked Beans
• Atomic Fireballs
• Jawbreakers (Jaw Busters)
• Red Hots
• Chewy Lemonhead & Friends
• Chewy Atomic Fire Balls
• Chocolate covered (Raisins, Peanuts, and Almonds)”

“The only products we manufacture that contain gluten are listed below. All other Jelly Belly products, including Jelly Belly Beans, are Gluten free.

The following items contain Gluten:
Chocolate Malt Balls
Christmas Chocolate Malt Balls
Christmas Deluxe Mix
Classic Candies Gift Box
Classic Licorice Gift Box
Deluxe Easter Mix
Deluxe Halloween Mix
HodgePodge
Licorice Bridge Mix
Licorice Pastels
Speckled Chocolate Malted Eggs“

Today I was reminded why it is so important to continue reading labels! After almost four years on the gluten-free diet, I feel like I know what products have gluten and which ones don’t. I’ve read labels, called companies, and checked websites numerous times. As I stated in my post on Jan. 27 I considered Brach’s Conversation Heart candy to be unsafe for Celiacs, but Necco Sweetheart valentine candy to be gluten-free. There is nothing in the ingredient list for Necco’s to indicate it contains gluten and the Necco website states: “We make the following products which do not contain gluten from wheat, rye, oats or barley: Necco Wafers, Mary Janes, Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses, Sweethearts Conversation Hearts (Valentines only), Canada Mint & Wintergreen Lozenges, Haviland Thin Mints and Candy Stix….”

So, I was surprised when I went to buy them for my daughter’s preschool class today and saw the following statement on the back of the bag of Necco Sweethearts Conversation Hearts: “ALLERGY INFORMATION: This product is made in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, oats, soy and milk.”

We’ve never gotten sick from eating Necco candy, but we aren’t as sensitive to gluten as some Celiacs are. It doesn’t appear that they’ve changed the ingredients, which I still believe to be gluten-free. So, why did they change the labeling? Did they actually change manufacturing plants? Or, is this just a way to avoid possible future lawsuits? Whichever, I’m disappointed. And just to be safe, I won’t be giving them to my kids. This year, they’ll be getting Wonka’s SweetTart Conversation Hearts, which ARE gluten free. Not exactly the same, but still a very tasty candy.

Find the Necco brand conversation hearts instead. According to the Necco web site they make the following products which do not contain gluten from wheat, rye, oats or barley: , Mary Janes, Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses, Sweethearts Conversation Hearts (Valentines only), Canada Mint & Wintergreen Lozenges, Haviland Thin Mints and Candy Stix. (In addition, Clark Bars, Skybars, Haviland Peppermint & Wintergreen Patties, Necco Candy Eggs (Easter), Talking Pumpkins (Halloween), Squirrel Nut Caramels and Squirrel Nut Zippers, Banana Split and Mint Julep Chews, ULTRAMINTS are also gluten free.)

*****Product Update Feb. 2009***** You may want to reconsider buying Necco Conversation Hearts. The following allergy statement on the back of the bag of Necco Sweethearts Conversation Hearts reads: “ALLERGY INFORMATION: This product is made in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, wheat, oats, soy and milk.”

*****Product Update Feb. 2010*****The packages (individual boxes and bag) of these Sweetheart Conversation Hearts did not have the Allergy Information statement on them this year. However, you may still find some with the statement from last year in discount stores. Check out the Valentine Candy List for information on other gluten-free candy.