Gluten Free Living says “Corn is used to make caramel color in the U.S. The FDA does permit use of barley malt but all major caramel color producers say corn makes a better product.”

Registered Dietitian and respected expert on celiac disease, Shelley Case, says that “While gluten-containing ingredients can be used in the production of caramel color, North American companies are now using glucose from corn, or sometimes sucrose (table sugar). In Europe, Shelley says, companies use glucose syrup that’s derived from wheat starch, but the caramel color is highly processed and contains no gluten. Therefore, Shelley says, “Caramel color is an acceptable ingredient on the gluten-free diet and does not need to be restricted.” Read the full article by Nancy Lapid at About.com.

I believe it is the glucose syrup which is why Cadbury eggs now lists wheat in their ingredients. They use glucose syrup that is derived from wheat starch. Most people and experts consider the glucose syrup to be gluten-free due to processing. However, if the ingredient WHEAT is on the label, I will include it in the unsafe list for people to decide for themselves.

Re: food labels
Manufacturers are required to indicate if wheat in any form is used in the manufacturing of the candy, and that would include flour that is used to keep candy from sticking to together as well as added coloring and flavorings.

This press release from the FDA states “Effective January 1, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring food labels to clearly state if food products contain any ingredients that contain protein derived from the eight major allergenic foods. As a result of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA), manufacturers are required to identify in plain English the presence of ingredients that contain protein derived from milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, or soybeans in the list of ingredients or to say “contains” followed by name of the source of the food allergen after or adjacent to the list of ingredients.”

Further official documents regarding food labeling:
The current regulations on food labeling in the US indicate that they are also in the process of making a determination of what “gluten free” means. The proposed recommendation is 20 ppm.
For further information on food labeling, you can check the Q&A on the FDA food labeling proposal for gluten.

You should also note that Europe’s FSA (Food Standards Agency) has changed their standards of the gluten threshold this year to 20 ppm. Companies are encouraged to update labels immediately, but they do have until Jan. 2012 to comply with the new regulation.
You can find even more information about gluten food labeling in Europe at the FSA website.

If there are specific candies on my safe list, that you think does indeed contain gluten, please let me know. I am happy to do further research to determine if it has gluten. Like you, I want to keep my family safe from gluten, too.

Also, every chocolate is usually made in multiple countries, and they are made differently in each country. So BE AWARE!

Anybody who is newly gluten intolerant should also know that many people are also (at least temporarily) lactose intolerant, so if you try something with milk chocolate that is supposed to be gluten free you may have similar symptoms because of the milk in the chocolate.

Most candies (and nuts) sold in packaging are processed in a factory and some type of “gluten”, i.e. flour is added to them after the processing. This is done so that the candies/nuts do not stick together in the bag/box.

“Gluten free” is not always gluten free. Google “gluten free labeling” and you will find that there are criteria that manufacturers use to say something is gluten free even though it may contain small amounts of gluten. Here’s what one website said: “To date, there is no legal definition of “gluten-free,” but there is an international standard for gluten-free products called Codex Alimentarius. The standard allows products to be labeled as gluten-free if there are less than 200 parts per million (ppm) of gluten in the final product, according to the Food Standards Agency.”

I’d stick with dark chocolates from folks we know we can trust.

You can browse through the list by category, brand, GF Status or even by keyword. Every product has a dated GF Statement and GF Meter ranking, so you can easily tell which products are made in a gluten free facility.

It’s ideal to go through those bags of candy since it only takes a few seconds to get the information you need.