Tag: gluten-free halloween candy

Enjoy These Gluten-Free Candies on Halloween

Enjoy these gluten-free candies on Halloween and avoid the consequences of an auto-immune response. If you’re Celiac or Gluten Intolerant, there’s no need to feel limited on Halloween. Below, we’ve listed more than 75 candies that are gluten-free to help you navigate the candy isle at your local store. For your convenience, we’ve also listed items to avoid.
Halloween Candy
You can also use this list to sort your child’s candy haul once you’re back home. Let’s face it, there’s too much sugar in that cute pumpkin shaped bucket to turn any kid loose with it sans supervision. As a parent setting boundaries, you can determine the best way to approach the task of removing harmful items.

If your child is very young, you may not even want to mention gluten. You can simply focus on yourself as the keeper of all sugarfest items and establish a schedule that you will follow for doling out the treats. Once you’ve set that expectation, dispose of the harmful items and distribute the others as promised.

You will have successfully set your child’s expectation, and although they may put up a fuss in the beginning, if you stick with your plan they will soon give up in recognition that fussing is futile. Yes, some kids will require being told no over and over and over again, but the simplest solution to such behavior for the long haul is to stick by your plan.

Each time you enforce boundaries and show the kids you mean what you say, you reinforce the idea that defiance will not result in a change in your plan. Setting this standard early will be useful as your children mature and you must help them understand that you will not allow them to have gluten-filled pizza no matter how much they whine that all their friends get to eat it.

If your child is older, you may want to have a conversation about which candies are gluten-free so that they can make good choices when at a friend’s house or in the convenience store.

Now let’s get to that candy list so you can move on to the task of finding or finishing the perfect costume!

From Hershey’s
Enjoy:
Almond Joy (except Almond Joy Pieces)
HERSHEY’s Milk Duds (all)
HERSHEY’s Nuggets
HERSHEY’s Nuggets Milk Chocolate with Almonds
HERSHEY’s SPECIAL DARK Dark Chocolate with Almonds
HERSHEY’s Nuggets Extras Creamy Milk Chocolate with Toffee and Almonds
HERSHEY’s Milk Chocolate Bar
HERSHEY’s Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds
HERSHEY’s Air Delight
Heath Bar
Milk Chocolate Kisses
Caramel Filled Chocolate Kisses
Cherry Cordial Creme Kisses
MOUNDS (all)
PAYDAY (all)
REESE’s Peanut Butter Cups (except for unwrapped minis and seasonal shapes)
REESE’s PIECES (all except REESE’s PIECES Eggs)
ROLO Caramels (all except Minis)
Scharffen Berger
Skor Toffee Bar
YORK Peppermint Pattie (all except YORK PIECES, YORK Minis and YORK Shapes)

Avoid:
Almond Joy Pieces
HERSHEY’s Extra Dark Chocolate
HERSHEY’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme Bar
HERSHEY’s Milk Chocolate Drops
HERSHEY’s Miniatures
HERSHEY’s Special Dark Bar
Mr. Goodbar
REESE’s Peanut Butter Cups unwrapped Minis and seasonal shapes,
REESE’s PIECES eggs
ROLO Minis
Symphony Bar
Kit Kat
YORK PIECES
YORK Minis and YORK Shapes

From Jelly Belly
Enjoy:
All jelly beans are gluten-free and dairy free
Jelly Belly Candy Corn

Avoid:
Any mix containing malt balls
Chocolate Bridge Mix
Licorice Bridge Mix
Chocolate Malt Balls
Licorice Buttons
Licorice Pastels

From Just Born
Enjoy:
Seasonal Peeps as noted on package
Mike and Ike’s – Berry Blast
Italian Ice
Jolly Joes
Lemonade Blends
Original Fruits
Redrageous
Tangy Twister
Tropical Typhoon
Zours
Hot Tamales
Goldenberg’s Vintage Peanut Chews

Avoid:
Any Peep not labeled GF

From Mars Chocolate
Please read labels on all Mars products
Enjoy:
All flavors of 3 Musketeers
Dove Chocolate products other than those containing graham or cookies
Plain M&Ms meet the stringent standards for GF certification, additional M&Ms other than pretzel flavored or special flavors
Milky Way Midnight Bar
Milky Way Caramel Bar
Munch Nut Bar unless noted
All flavors of Snickers

Avoid:
M&M pretzel flavor
Some packages of M&M White Chocolate, Mint, and M&M Coconut flavor
Maltesers
Mars Bar
Mars Combos
Milky Way Bar
Twix

From NECCO
Enjoy:
Candy Buttons
CANADA Mint
CANADA Wintergreen
Banana Splits Chews
Mint Julep Chews
Haviland Thin Mints
Haviland Wintergreen Patty
Mary Jane
Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses
NECCO Wafers
NECCO Chocolate Wafers
Sky Bar
Sweethearts

Avoid:
Clark Bars
Haviland Bridge Mix
Haviland Real Chocolate Covered Raisins
Haviland Real Chocolate Double Dipped Peanuts
Mighty Malts
Peach Blossoms
Red Hot Cinnamon Bat-Wing Wafers
Slap Stix
Squirrel Nut Zippers
Sweethearts Mummy Hearts
Zombie Hearts

From Nestle
Enjoy:
Baby Ruth
Bit-O-Honey
Original Flavor Butterfinger
Goobers
Laffy Taffy
Laffy Taffy Rope
Milk Chocolate
Nips
Oh Henry!
Rasinets including Cranberry and Dark Chocolate
Runts
Sno-Caps
Wonka Pixy Stix
Wonka Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip

Avoid (some are processed in a facility that processes gluten containing items, read label):
100 Grand Bar
Butterfinger Crisp Bar
Butterfinger Giant Bar
Butterfinger Snackerz
Butterfinger Medallions
Butterfinger Jingles
Butterfinger Hearts
Butterfinger Pumpkins
Chewy Spree
Everlasting Gobstopper
Nestle Crunch Bar
Sweetarts
All flavors of Wonka Bars
Wonka Nerds
Wonka Gummies
Wonka Kazoozles

From Sweets
Enjoy:
Chocolate Jelly Sticks
Gummy Bears are all certified GF
Jelly Beans
Salt Water Taffy

Avoid:
Candies packaged by Sweets, but not made by Sweets. Read labels.

From Tootsie Roll Industries
Enjoy:
All Tootsie Rolls and Charms products with the exception of Andes cookies.
The following Tootsie Roll products are also peanut and nut product free:
Andes mints
Crows
Celia’s Milk or Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries
Charleston Chew
Charms Squares
Charms Sour Balls
Charms Candy Carnival
Frooties, Dots
Tropical Dots
Fluffy Stuff Cotton Candy
Junior Mints
Junior Caramels
Caramel Apple Pops
Fruit Smoothie Pops
Pops Galore
Tootsie Pops
Tootsie Peppermint Pops
Tropical Stormz Pops
Zip-A-Dee-Mini Pops
Child’s Play Tootsie Roll Assortment
Fruit Rolls
Tootsie Rolls
Sugar Babies
Sugar Daddy
Sugar Mama

Avoid:
Andes Cookies

From Mars Wrigley
Enjoy:
Cream Savers
Lifesavers
Skittles
Starburst

Avoid:
Altoids Smalls Peppermint Mints
Altoids Chocolate Dipped Covered Mints

I must admit it seems a bit ironic to blog about candy immediately following a post on healthy eating, but hey it’s Halloween and I love Halloween so I want you to quit worrying and have as much fun as I plan to!

Happy Halloween!

If you require additional information, you can contact these candy companies at the following numbers:
Hershey’s 800-468-1714
Jelly Belly 800-522-3267
Just Born 888-645-3453
Mars Chocolate 800-627-7852
Necco 800-225-5508
Nestle USA 800-225-2270
Sweet’s 855-772-7720
Tootsie Roll Industries 773-838-3400
Mars Wrigley 800-974-4539

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Sources:
http://www.thehersheycompany.com/nutrition-and-wellbeing/nutrition-information/special-dietary-needs/gluten-free-products.aspx
http://www.necco.com/FAQs.aspx
http://www.mars.com/global/about-mars/faq.aspx
http://www.nestle.com/aboutus/ask-nestle/answers/gluten-free-products
http://www.specialtyfood.com/organization/company/8077/

Let’s Make Gluten-Free Halloween Candy Less Spooky for Our Kids!

When I was a kid, Halloween meant a carnival at school featuring large black pots filled with smoking dry ice, a darkened haunted house where you put your hands in ketchup-covered spaghetti “guts”, and a church carnival featuring bobbing for apples in a bucket of water.

Our costumes were mostly homemade. Little Bo Peep was a favorite. Trick-or-treating included the occasional homemade popcorn ball or caramel apple. These treats were the best!

J & B

Of course, there were stories of razor blades in candy somewhere far, far away, but never a problem in our small town. The biggest danger we faced was getting excited and forgetting to watch for cars before we crossed the street.

I raised my children in a larger town. We were careful to limit our trick-or-treat stops to the homes of friends. Even then, we checked every wrapper to make sure it was sealed before the kids started their feast.

I’m sure that most poisoned candy stores are urban myth, but there are some real Halloween dangers – especially for celiac and gluten-intolerant children. Many popular candies are not gluten free. Brands that are normally safe sometimes use slightly different formulations during busy seasons. All of this is a bit scary. So how can we make Halloween less spooky for gluten-free kids?

If you have a tendency to want to keep the kids at home, I would encourage you to rethink. I always feel that it’s best to let our children feel as normal as possible. As long as you participate and set some boundaries, there’s no reason your little goblin can’t go trick-or-treating with his friends.

I doubt if you let your children dive in and eat all the candy they want to right away. Since you already have rules, it shouldn’t be hard to let those rules include some label reading. You can review ingredients for the little ones, and make label reading into a game for the older kids.

If you think you’ll get some protests about being deprived, you can offer a substitution program in which you trade piece for piece a gluten-free candy for a problem candy your child has in his bucket. Of course, I’m all in favor of limiting the amount of sugar your children are allowed as well.

If you’ll primarily be trick-or-treating at relatives’ houses, you can send them a list of acceptable candy in advance to make your job easier. To help you accomplish your mission, let’s start with these lists of popular candy brands to see how many gluten-free Halloween candy options we can find:

 

Hershey’s:

Gluten-Free: Almond Joy, Mounds, Milk Chocolate Kisses, Caramel Filled Chocolate Kisses, Cherry Cordial Creme Kisses, Hershey’s Nuggets, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds, Heath Bar, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (except for seasonal shapes), Skor, Skor Toffee Bar, York Peppermint Pattie

NOT Gluten-Free: Hershey’s Special Dark Bar, Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme Bar, Hershey’s Air Delight, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Drops, Hershey’s Miniatures, Mr. Goodbar, Symphony Bar, Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate, Kit Kat

Jelly Belly

Gluten-Free: All jelly beans are gluten-free and dairy free. Jelly Belly Candy Corn.

NOT Gluten-Free: Chocolate Malt Balls, Chocolate Bridge Mix, Licorice Bridge Mix, Licorice Buttons, Licorice Pastels or any mix containing malt balls.

Just Born

Gluten-Free: Seasonal Peeps as noted on package. The following Mike and Ike’s – Berry Blast, Italian Ice, Jolly Joes, Lemonade Blends, Original Fruits, Redrageous, Tangy Twister, Tropical Typhoon, Zours, Hot Tamales, and Goldenberg’s Vintage Peanut Chews

NOT Gluten-Free: Any Peep not labeled GF.

Label

Mars Chocolate

Gluten-Free: Plain M&Ms meet the stringent standards for GF certification, additional M&Ms other than pretzel flavored or special flavors, All flavors of 3 Musketeers, Milky Way Midnight Bar, Milky Way Caramel Bar, All flavors of Snickers, Dove Chocolate products other than those containing graham or cookies, Munch Nut Bar unless noted

NOT Gluten-Free: M&M pretzel flavor, some packages of M&M White Chocolate, Mint, and M&M Coconut flavor, Milky Way Bar, Mars Bar, Mars Combos, Twix, Maltesers,

Please read labels on all Mars products.

Necco

GlutenFree: Necco Wafers, Necco Chocolate Wafers, Candy House Candy Buttons, Canada Mint, Wintergreen and Spearmint Lozenges, Mary Jane, Mary Jane Peanutbutter Kisses, Banana Splits Chews, Mint Julep Chews, Haviland Thin Mints, Wintergreen Patty, Nonpareils, Chocolate Stars, Skybar, Sweethearts Conversation Hearts

NOT Gluten-Free: Red Hot Cinnamon Bat-Wing Wafers, Sweethearts Mummy Hearts, Zombie Hearts, Mighty Malts, Clark Bars, Peach Blossoms, Haviland Bridge Mix, Haviland Real Chocolate Covered Raisins, Haviland Real Chocolate Double Dipped Peanuts, Slap Stix, Squirrel Nut Zippers

Nestle

Gluten-Free: Baby Ruth, Bit-O-Honey, Original Flavor Butterfinger, Milk Chocolate, Goobers, Nips, Oh Henry!, Rasinets including Cranberry and Dark Chocolate, Sno-Caps, Wonka Pixy Stix, Laffy Taffy, Laffy Taffy Rope, Wonka Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip, Runts

NOT Gluten-Free (or processed in a facility that processes gluten, read label): Butterfinger Crisp Bar, Butterfinger Giant Bar, Butterfinger Snackerz, Butterfinger Medallions, Butterfinger Jingles, Butterfinger Hearts, Butterfinger Pumpkins, Wonka Nerds, Sweetarts, All flavors of Wonka Bars, Chewy Spree, Wonka Gummies, Wonka Kazoozles, Everlasting Gobstopper, 100 Grand Bar, Nestle Crunch Bar

Sweets

Gluten-Free: Salt Water Taffy, Chocolate Jelly Sticks, Jelly Beans, Gummy Bears are all certified GF

NOT Gluten Free: Candies packaged by Sweets, but not made by Sweets. Read labels.

Tootsie Roll Industries

Gluten-Free: All Tootsie Rolls and Charms products with the exception of Andes cookies. These Tootsie Roll products are also peanut and nut product free. Tootsie Rolls, Fruit Rolls, Frooties, Dots, Tropical Dots, Crows, Celia’s Milk or Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries, Junior Mints, Charleston Chew, Junior Caramels, Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Peppermint Pops, Caramel Apple Pops, Fruit Smoothie, Pops, Tropical Stormz Pops, Child’s Play, Charms Blow Pops, Charms Super Blow Pops, Charms Pops, Zip-A-Dee-Mini Pops, Fluffy Stuff Cotton Candy, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Mama, Charms Squares, Charms Sour Balls, Charms Candy Carnival, Pops Galore, Andes mints, Sugar Babies

NOT Gluten-Free: Andes Cookies

Mars Wrigley

Gluten-Free: Cream Savers, Lifesavers, Skittles, Starburst, Altoids other than flavors listed below.

NOT Gluten-Free: Altoids Smalls Peppermint Mints, Altoids Chocolate Dipped Covered Mints

As you can see, there’s quite a list of acceptable treats. All you have to do to make Halloween candy less spooky for your gluten-intolerant child is set some boundaries and use these lists as a reference. That’s not such a tough trick!

Happy Halloween!

 

If you have a specific question about labeling or want a more definitive answer, you can contact these candy companies at the following numbers:

Hershey’s 800-468-1714

Jelly Belly 800-522-3267

Just Born 888-645-3453

Mars Chocolate 800-627-7852

Necco 781-485-4800

Nestle USA 800-225-2270

Sweet’s 855-772-7720

Tootsie Roll Industries 773-838-3400

Mars Wrigley 800-974-4539

 

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Sources:

http://www.mars.com/global/index.aspx

http://www.necco.com/FAQs.aspx

http://www.nestle.com/brands/chocolateconfectionery

http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreefoodshopping/a/GFcandies.htm

http://theglutenfreebar.com/gluten-free-blog/gluten-free-food-list/candy/are-altoids-gluten-free/