Allergy-Free Halloween Candy Round-Up

by Kelley Lindberg


Last week I talked about some online resources for buying allergy-friendly candy or non-candy novelties for handing out to all those cute little Halloween trick-or-treaters. This week, I’ll list some of the candy I found here in local Utah stores (most of which are national brands, so they’ll probably be found just about anywhere).

The first thing I want to remind you of is this: READ EVERY LABEL, EVERY TIME. Many manufacturers use multiple factories, and the processes and foods they use in each factory can be different, so the same candy made in two different factories might have different allergen warnings. And manufacturers can change their recipes from year to year, too. So the candy you bought last year might be unsafe this year. Double-check everything.

For example, last year I was able to find some Wonka candy mixes that were milk- and egg-free. This year, the “mix” bags all contained an egg and soy warning. (Some of the single-variety Wonka candy was safe, however, such as the Pixie Stix or Fun Dip.) Last year, a Wonka representative told me they perform thorough cleaning and use strict preparation guidelines when they’re using an allergen. But they still put the warning label on the candy that is made in factories where allergens are present. Wonka is good about labeling their individual candies, so you can look at each piece in your little goblin’s bag and know whether you’re getting a contaminated piece or not. I’m disappointed that there are more contamination warnings on Wonka candy this year than last, however.

Now the good news: I found lots of candy that’s free from the Top 8 Allergens (soy, peanut, tree nut, wheat, egg, milk, seafood, shellfish), and several that are free from at least 6. I shopped at Walmart, Sam’s Club, Smith’s, and Shopko. Most stores will carry pretty much the same assortments as those stores, so you should be able to find them somewhere near you. Sam’s Club had the biggest selection and greatest variety. All of the candy I saw contains artificial food colorings, and almost all contains corn syrup, however, so if those are your issues, I recommend lollipops and gummy bears from YummyEarth. They’re free from the big 8, and use natural colorings and flavorings. Or buy non-food novelties from someplace like Oriental Trading Company.

So here is what I found. Remember, don’t take my word for it – check the labels yourself before you buy (I may have missed something while I was standing in the aisle scribbling notes), or you may pick up a bag made in a different factory than the one I looked at. But hopefully this list will help point you in the right direction and keep you from getting discouraged when you look at those giant aisles of unsafe candy. And it might help you when you go through your kid’s trick-or-treat bag, too. Happy treating!

Non-food:

• Play-Doh mini cups, package of 66, $9.98 at Sam’s Club (contains wheat)

Corn-free as well as free from Top 8 (These candies don’t list corn syrup in their ingredients, so they may be safe for corn-allergic kids):

• Smarties (Walmart, 60 per bag, 2 bags for $4)
• Wonka Pixie Stix (Walmart, 120 per bag, 2 bags for $4)
• Wonka Fun Dip (Walmart, 40 per bag, $4.75)
• Bob’s Sweet Stripes Soft Mint Candies (red & white peppermints) (Sam’s Club (290 per bag, $5.98)

Free from Top 8:

• Dum-Dums (Sam’s Club, 360 per bag, $6.98)
• Dum-Dum Chewy Pops (Walmart, 180 per bag, $4.75)
• Member’s Mark Zoo Animal Fruit Snacks (contains coconut oil) (Sam’s Club, 72 per bag, $8.98)
• Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-Ups (Sam’s Club, 48 per box, $7.48)
• Betty Crocker Halloween Fruit Snacks (Sam’s Club, 46 per box, $6.98
• Otter Pops (Sam’s Club, 200 for $7.80)
• Kellogg’s Fruity Snacks (contains coconut oil) (Sam’s Club, 50 per box, $6.98)
• Skittles and Starbursts Assortment (Sam’s Club, 172 per bag, $9.88, or Shopko has a bag of 90 for $9.99
• Life Savers Gummies (Smiths, 30 per bag, $2.49)
• Dots (Smiths, 17 mini-boxes per bag, $2.49)
• Hot Tamales & Mike & Ike assortment (Smiths, 63 per bag, $6.99, or Shopko has a bag of 35 for $4.89
• Swedish Fish & Sour Patch Kids assortment (Smiths, 115 per bag, $9.99)
• Smiths also had bags of Skittles and bags of Starbursts, but I forgot to write down the price
• Jet-Puff Boo Mallows (bags of Halloween-shaped marshmallows) (Walmart, 14 bags for $2.00)
• Ring Pops (Walmart, 22 for $4.75)
• Marvel Candy Sticks (Walmart, 2 bags of 60 for $4)

Contains Soy Lecithin or Soy warning (but free from other 7 top allergens):

• Wrigley’s Gum (Sam’s Club, 40 packs for $7.14)
• Jolly Rancher Lollipops (Sam’s Club, 100 per bag, $9.22)
• Laffy Taffy (Sam’s Club: 165 per container, $5.72; Smiths: 2 bags of 40 for $4; Walmart: 80 for $4.75)
• Laffy Taffy Ropes (Sam’s Club, 48 ropes, $8.78)
• Double Bubble bubble gum (Walmart, 160 for $4.75)
• Act II Popcorn Balls (Walmart, 20 for $5)

Contains Soy and Wheat (but free from other 6 top allergens):

• Twizzlers (Sam’s Club, 180 for $6.98)
• Airheads (Sam’s Club: 90 for $8.34, Walmart: 2 bags of 30 for $4)
• Utz Pretzel Treats (Sam’s Club, 70 bags of Halloween-shaped pretzels, contains wheat and barley, made on equipment that processes soy and sesame seeds, $6.98)
• Twizzler & Jolly Rancher Assortment (Sam’s Club, 225 for $9.98)

Contains Wheat and Egg (but free from other 6 top allergens):

• Wonka Mixups (Sam’s Club, 300 for $9.88)
• Wonka Sweetarts Variety Mix (Walmart, I forgot to write down price)
• Wonka Monster Treat Mix (Walmart, I forgot to write down price)

Contemplating Pumpkin Pie

I goofed on at least one candy label in last week’s post, as “Infant Bibliophile” pointed out very, very gently (thanks for being kind!). Twizzlers, of course, are made with wheat flour, and I was trying to keep my list free of the top 8 allergens. I’m so sorry I let that one slip through. And I’m so glad that other people are out there to help back me up and spread that safety net a little farther for all of us.

But I guess it does just goes to show… you can’t trust anyone but yourself, and even then, it’s a good idea to double-check yourself! Sigh.

Preparations for Halloween are continuing. I bought a couple of cans of pumpkin yesterday, with the wildly optimistic notion that I might try to make an egg- and milk-free pumpkin pie again this year. I tried last year, and the 3 or 4 pies I attempted were NOT successful. Ick. I’m pretty sure even that guy on the Bizarre Foods television show wouldn’t have touched those pies with a ten-foot anthill-poking stick.

So this year maybe I’ll try again. I’ve run across an allergy-friendly recipe or two for pumpkin pie, so I’ll give them a shot and see how they turn out.

Yesterday, I made an apple pie. All those yummy apples are everywhere now, and my husband brought some home from a work buddy, so I cheated and bought one of those Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts (love those babies, and they’re milk-, egg-, and nut-free). Then I put on my Martha Stewart hat (no, not really), and I whipped up an apple pie. It tasted delicious, but it fell apart badly when I dished it up. I called it “train wreck cobbler” instead of “apple pie,” so it sounded like I meant to do it that way. Everyone fell for it. Sure.

Oh well. Maybe a pumpkin pie really isn’t in the cards for me this year. Who needs the stress? Perhaps I’ll make pumpkin cookies instead of pumpkin pie. Sounds safer. Or I like to spoon some pumpkin into my safe pancake mix and make pumpkin pancakes this time of year. That’s easy, and my family likes them.

Or maybe I’ll just let those cans of pumpkin sit in my pantry until next year. I’ve still got a costume to make, after all.