Allergy-Free Halloween Candy Round-Up 2015

By Kelley Lindberg

Go Teal! The teal pumpkin means we
have non-food treats available!

Every year I hit the stores looking for Halloween candy, and I share a list of common candies and the allergens they list. This year, I have been burning the candle at both ends and in the middle and haven’t had a chance to do that. But I’m going to post last year’s list, because I don’t usually see much variation year to year, so last year’s list will at least give you a starting point as you help your little trick-or-treaters sort through their candy loot.

If you still need to find candies free from all of the Top 8 allergens or free from corn, Target had a large supply of YumEarth Gummy Bears, Gummy Worms, and Lollipops yesterday when I was there (each $3.14 bag contains 10 individually wrapped packets). Dollar Tree always has a surprising amount of safe “icky” choices, like gummy skeletons and lollipops shaped like skulls, so if you’re looking for something fun and gross to put on top of cupcakes, for example, try Dollar Tree. They also carry the best peanut-free and tree nut-free candy corn I’ve found, from Crystal Bay. (I think Crystal Bay candy corn tastes better than Brach’s, anyway!)

A BIG WARNING:  CHECK EVERY PIECE, EVERY TIME.

Large companies use multiple factories. That means the same candy may be produced in different places, with different allergens present. So CHECK LABELS on every single piece of candy. Wonka is one of the worst companies for producing the same candy in different packages containing different allergen warnings, but they are one of the best at individually labeling their candies so you can verify its safety before every bite. A few candies may have changed their ingredients and moved to other places in my list from last year -- a good reminder to check old favorites. When in doubt, call the manufacturer for clarification (most list a phone number right on their package).

First I’ll list candies that don’t list corn as an ingredient (because there aren’t very many of them). Then I’ll list the candies and treats that do contain corn, but are free from some or all of the Top 8 allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, soy, wheat, fish, shellfish).

By the way, EVERYTHING on this entire list is nut-free and peanut-free. That's where I started, then I broke them down by the other allergens. I hope it helps simplify your Halloween!

Corn-free as well as free from Top 8:

YumEarth is at Target, and
this year they're even cheaper!

• Bob’s Sweet Stripes Soft Mint Candies (red & white peppermints) (Sam’s Club)
• Cotton Candy (Parade brand, Sam’s Club, 8 tubs per package)
• Cotton Candy in Candy Corn and Boo-Berry flavors (Dollar Tree)
• Cotton Candy, Hello Kitty (Dollar Tree)
• YumEarth Gummy Bears and Gummy Worms (in Target!)
• YumEarth Organic Pops (in Target!)

Everything from here on down contains corn ingredients:

Free from Top 8 (Wheat, Peanut, Tree Nut, Milk, Egg, Soy, Fish, Shellfish):

• Baby Bottle Pops (Sam’s Club)
• Betty Crocker Halloween Fruit Snacks
• Bubble Babies Gum Balls (contains coconut, Dollar Tree)
• Candy Jewelry (Dollar Tree)
• Dots
• Dum-Dums
• Giant Lollipop (Dollar Tree)
• Grave Gummies (contains coconut) (Dollar Tree)
• Gummy Body Parts (contains coconut oil) (Dollar Tree – coffins and bags) [Note: 2 years ago, 
• Walmart sold Frankford Candy Body Parts that contained peanuts, nuts, milk, soy, beef, and corn, so read company name and ingredients carefully]
• Gummy Turtle Power Candy Pizza (contains beef gelatin, Dollar Tree)
• Halloween Pops (contain gelatin, Dollar Tree)
• Haribo Gummy Bears (contains coconut)
• Hello Kitty Family Favorites Candy Mix (Dollar Tree)
• Hot Tamales
• Hubba Bubba bubble gum
• Jelly Belly trick-or-treat-sized packets of jelly beans (Target)
• Jolly Rancher
• Life Savers
• Life Savers Lollipops
• Life Savers Gummies (contains gelatin, possibly pork-derived, although I can’t verify)
• Market Pantry Spooky Shapes fruit snacks (Target – contains pork gelatin)
• Mike & Ike
• Pixy Stix, regular and giant (Sam’s Club carries a package of 50 Giant Pixy Stix)
• Push Pops
• Ring Pops
• Skittles
• Skulls & Bones Hard Candy (Dollar Tree)
• Smarties
• Sour Patch Kids (but be careful—the Sour Patch Twists contain wheat, so read labels carefully)
• Spiderman Villains Candy Sticks (contains beef gelatin) (Dollar Tree)
• Spongebob Gummy Krabby Patties (beef gelatin) (Dollar Tree)
• Spooky Lollipop Rings (Dollar Tree)
• Starbursts
• Swedish Fish
• Tic Tacs
• Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers (gummi worms) (Sam’s Club – contains gelatin)

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

• Bon Bon Boom Lollipops (Dollard Tree)
• Cry Baby Extra Sour Bubble Gum (Dollar Tree)
• Hubba Bubba Bubble Tape
• Jolly Rancher Crunch ‘n’ Chew (last year, these had soy listed, but I didn’t find any this year, so I can’t verify ingredients. Call the company at 800-468-1714)
• Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews (last year, these had soy listed, but I didn’t find any this year, so I can’t verify ingredients. Call the company at 800-468-1714)
• Jolly Rancher Lollipops (last year, these had soy listed, but I didn’t find any this year, so I can’t verify ingredients. Call the company at 800-468-1714)
• Laffy Taffy
• Laffy Taffy Ropes (Sam’s Club)
• Lollipop Skulls (Dollar Tree)
• Market Pantry Candy Corn Flavored Kettle-Cooked Popcorn (Target)
• Scary Eyeballs Bubble Gum (Dollar Tree)
• SweeTarts Chews (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment, and SweeTarts GUMMIES contain a warning for peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, and wheat!!!)
• Gum: Dentyne, Trident, Orbit, Eclipse, Wrigley’s (Doublemint, Winterfresh, Big Red, Juicy Fruit, Spearmint, etc.)

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

• Red Vines
• Scooby-Doo Sour Straws (beef) (Dollar Tree)
• Sour Punch Twists
• Twizzler’s Pull ‘n’ Peel (these don’t list soy, although regular Twizzlers do, so read carefully)
• Twizzler’s Strawberry Twists (these don’t list soy, although regular Twizzlers do, so read carefully)
• Twizzler’s Rainbow Twists (these don’t list soy, although regular Twizzlers do, so read carefully)

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

• Pop Rocks
• Popping Candy (Dollar Tree)
• Pumpkin Face Bubble Gum in Jar (Target)

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

• Bottlecaps (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment – some have wheat warning)
• Gobstoppers (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment)
• Nerds (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment – some have wheat warning)
• Nerds Ropes(check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment)
• Spree (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment)
• SweeTarts (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment, and SweeTarts GUMMIES contain a warning for peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, and wheat!!!)
• SweeTarts Mini (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment, and SweeTarts GUMMIES contain a warning for peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, and wheat!!!)
• SweeTart Twists (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment, and SweeTarts GUMMIES contain a warning for peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, and wheat!!!)

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

• Airheads
• Twizzlers

Contains Milk and Soy or warnings (but free from other 6 top allergens):

• Charms Blow Pops
• Double Bubble gum (check every individual Double Bubble candy label because ingredients vary by assortment and store)
• Hershey’s Chocolate bars, the 1.55 ounce size ONLY (the S’mores size) (all other sizes contain nut warnings)
• Kraft Caramels
• Sixlets candy-coated chocolate drops
• Tootsie Pops
• Tootsie Rolls
• Tootsie Fruit Rolls

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

• Bottlecaps (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment – some don’t have wheat warning)
• Nerds (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment – some don’t have wheat warning)
• Nerds Ropes (Sam’s Club)
• Shockers (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary) (Sam’s Club)
• SweeTarts (check every individual Wonka candy label because ingredients vary by assortment – some don’t have wheat warning)

Contains Wheat and Milk or warnings (but free from other 6 top allergens):

• Utz Halloween Pretzel Treats (contains sesame warning, too)

Contains Soy, Milk, and Egg or warnings (but free from other 5 top allergens):

• Sugar Daddies (Dollar Tree)

Non-Candy Ideas (can find packs of individual serving sizes at warehouse stores like Sam’s Club):

• Boom Chicka Pop Sea Salt Popcorn (Target – 16 individual bags per container)
• Chex Mix (contains wheat, soy, and corn)
• David’s Sunflower seeds
• Funyuns Onion Flavored Rings (contains milk, soy, and corn)
• Jack Link’s beef jerky (contains beef, free from Top 8)
• Keebler Crème-Filled Sugar Wafer Cookies (contains soy, wheat, and cornstarch)
• Lay’s Potato Chips (free from Top 8)
• Nabisco Lorna Doone cookies (contains wheat, corn, and soy)
• Oberto Beef Jerky (contains beef, free from the Top 8)
• Oreos (contains soy, wheat, and corn)
• Slim Jim Meat Sticks (contains beef, chicken, soy, wheat, and corn)
• Zoo Animals crackers (Sam’s Club, contains wheat, corn, soy, milk)
• Drinks, like Kool-Aid Jammers or Capri Suns, or sodas in mini-cans – check ingredients

Watch Out for These:

• The following candies may land in your child’s trick-or-treat bags, and they may not have ingredients labels, so watch out for them:
• Bazooka Gum-Filled Pops – lists only corn, but comes in an assortment listing all allergens in a factory warning
• Banana Splits (sold at Sam’s Club in an assortment. Contains soy and egg, and has factory warning for peanuts, tree nuts, and milk)
• Brachs – everything this manufacturer seems to make has peanut and nut warnings, plus some of the other allergens, depending on the product.
• Columbina candies – all have a factory warning for peanuts, egg, tree nuts, soy, milk, and wheat
• Goetze’s Caramel Creams (sold at Sam’s Club in an assortment. Contains wheat, milk, and soy.)
• Hershey’s: All mini and fun-sized Hershey’s chocolates contain nut warnings and should be avoided. Plain milk-chocolate and dark-chocolate Hershey’s kisses are nut-free, but contain milk. Most flavored Hershey’s kisses (caramel, cherry-filled, etc.) list nut contamination. The only nut-free size of Hershey bars is the 1.55 ounce size (the type commonly sold alongside graham crackers and marshmallows for S’Mores.)
• IBC Root Beer Barrels (sold at Sam’s Club in an assortment. Has factory warning for peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy)
• Jawbreakers contain only sucrose, but packaged in an assortment that lists all the allergens in a factory warning
• Lemonheads contain only corn, but are usually found in assortment bags that include warnings for all the allergens on the overall packaging
• Mary Janes (sold at Sam’s Club in an assortment. Contains peanuts and soy, and has factory warning for tree nuts, wheat, milk, and egg)
• Slo Poke (sold at Sam’s Club in an assortment. Contains soy and milk, and has factory warning for peanuts, tree nuts, and milk)
• Taffy: For the first time this year, there are 2 taffy brands that are nut free. One is made by Taffy Town, and local company, but theirs do contain eggs, milk, and soy. http://www.taffytown.com/ The other is by an online store called Sweet Pete’s http://www.sweetpetescandy.com/search?x=0&y=0&q=taffy , which advertises that their taffy is made in a nut-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free facility. Other than those two sources, I have not found any other taffy that is nut-free, so assume most taffy in your child’s trick-or-treat bucket contains nut contamination.
• Tiger Pops – packaging lists all allergens
• Warheads – various packaging lists some or all Top 8 allergens in factory warnings