Gluten-Free Halloween: Trick-or-Treat Safety Tips & An Approved Gluten-Free Candy List by Jules Shepard

With Halloween almost here, here’s a safety issue many families don’t think about until it’s too late: gluten in candy and seasonal treats. If your child or someone you love is gluten-free, here are some tips to help keep kids safe this Halloween.

• Check every label, every year, since formulations change.
• Treat “fun size” and seasonal packs as different products.
• Know that wheat is called out on labels, but barley and rye may not be.
• Watch for malt, cookie pieces, crisped cereal and coatings.
• Feed kids a safe meal before they head out.
• Do the sorting at home, not on the sidewalk.
• Keep a swap stash of safe treats ready.
• Set aside a safe bowl if you’re handing out candy.
  

Photo credit: all photos under license from BigStock

Labeling Gaps

Parents see a familiar candy bar and assume it’s safe, but the fun-size or seasonal version can be made differently or on different equipment. Read the label on every single piece, every single year.

What Gluten-free Means

A "gluten-free" label means the product meets a federal standard of under 20 parts per million gluten. The absence of a gluten-free claim doesn't necessarily mean the product isn't gluten-free, and the absence of wheat in the ingredient list doesn't make the product automatically gluten-free, either. Current gluten-free labeling regulations in the U.S. are confusing, so it's important to read the entire label for yourself, and consult with the manufacturer's website if you need clarification.

Hidden Gluten

Candy isn’t the only culprit. Cookie pieces, crisped rice or cereal, malt flavoring and some gummy or extruded shapes candy coatings are where gluten tends to hide. If an ingredient list is long or you don’t recognize something, skip it.

Gluten Cross-Contact

For a child with celiac disease, a crumb is enough to matter. Mixed bowls and shared bins are a cross-contact risk, so sort and set aside safe treats before anything goes into your child’s bag.

Making a Game Plan

Make a plan before you leave the house. Have your child eat a safe meal first, and set the rule that nothing gets eaten until you’ve checked it at home. Keep a stash of safe treats ready to trade for anything that doesn’t pass.

Keeping Halloween Fun

The goal isn’t to make Halloween scary for these kids, it’s to make sure they get the same joy as everyone else. When families plan ahead, a child with celiac can enjoy the night without worrying about getting sick.

Neighbors Handing Out Candy

If you want to be an inclusive house, set out a clearly separate bowl of individually wrapped, labeled gluten-free treats, and keep the original packaging so parents can check it.

Here is my list of of safe gluten-free candy.

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