Easter candy...what is safe for those baskets?

Here in our growing community of Gling, there are more than just gluten issues. People have many different food allergies and intolerance's and knowing what is safe and what isn't can seem overwhelming at times. One of our goals here is to bring you as much information as we can to make your intolerant world a bit easier to navigate. Hopefully we are succeeding!

Easter is just around the corner, yet another holiday that the candy makers provide an amazing array of choices in many different flavors and shapes. Walking down the Easter candy isle at your local grocery store can be completely overwhelming if you have to think about food allergies and intolerance's. I know, I've been there!

This year, you will be armed with a bit of information before you get to that isle of the store to make your selections. Hopefully it will help you feel a bit less apprehensive when it's time to fill those Easter baskets, eggs and goody bags. This can be a fun time for you and your kids, with less stress involved than in years past. There are many "safe" choices out there for most of us, thankfully!

When I compiled my list this time, I tried to make a note of not only wheat or gluten ingredients, but also corn, peanuts, tree nuts, soy and eggs. Because there is the whole "human" factor in this list and I am not perfect, please make sure that you still read labels. Hopefully this will give you at least an idea of a direction you can go when thinking of Easter candy treats.

Almond Joy Eggs: corn, tree nuts; cross contamination – peanuts

Brach’s Black Jelly Bird Eggs: corn; cross contamination – milk, egg, soy, wheat, peanut, tree nut

Brach’s Bunny Basket Eggs: safe

Brach’s Chicks and Rabbits: safe

Brach’s Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Rabbits: corn

Brach’s Classic Jelly Bird Eggs: corn

Brach’s Fiesta Malts: milk, eggs, wheat

Brach’s Solid Milk Chocolate Bunny: milk

Brach’s Spiced Jelly Bird Eggs: corn

Butterfinger Solid Milk Chocolate Bunny: corn; cross contamination – tree nut, peanut

Cadbury Cream Eggs: corn; cross contamination – peanut, tree nut

Cadbury Mini Cream Eggs: corn

Cadbury Solid Milk Chocolate Bunny: milk

Charms Blow Pop: safe

Crunch Solid Milk Chocolate Bunny: wheat; cross contamination – tree nut, peanut

Cry Baby Eggs: corn

Dove Bunny 3 pack: cross contamination – peanut, tree nut

Dove Elegant Eggs: cross contamination – peanuts and almonds

Dove Fairy Bunny: peanuts

Ferrero Collection: wheat

Hershey’s Bliss Eggs: cross contamination – peanuts and almonds

Hershey’s Bliss Foil Bunnies: corn; cross contamination – peanut, tree nut

Hershey’s Bliss Mini Eggs: milk

Hershey’s Candy Coated Milk Chocolate: corn

Hershey’s Cookie& Cream Bunnies: corn, wheat; cross contamination – almonds

Hershey’s Cookies & Cream Eggs: wheat

Hershey’s Extra Creamy Eggs: milk

Hershey’s Hollow Milk Chocolate Egg: milk; cross contamination – peanut

Hershey’s Kisses Caramel: milk

Hershey’s Kisses Coconut Crème: milk, tree nuts

Hershey’s Kisses Orange Cream: milk

Hershey’s Kisses with Almond: milk, tree nuts

Hershey’s Kisses: milk

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Covered Eggs: corn, cross contamination – eggs

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Eggs: milk

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Hollow Bunny: safe

Hershey’s Mini Bunnies: cross contamination – tree nuts and peanuts

Hershey’s Miniatures: wheat

Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate Princess Bunny: milk

Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate Speedy Bunny: milk

Hubba Bubba Chucklers: corn

Jelly Belly Ice Cream Parlor Mix: corn, wheat

Jelly Belly Jelly Beans: corn, wheat

Kit Kat – wheat

Kit Kat Bunny Ears: wheat, corn, peanuts

Life Savers Jelly Beans Pastels: corn

Lindt Bugs and Bees: tree nuts, wheat, peanut

Lindt Gold Bunny: wheat; cross contamination – peanut, tree nut

Lindt Gold Chocolate Carrots: tree nut; cross contamination – peanut

Lindt Mini Chicks and Gold Bunny: wheat; cross contamination – peanut, tree nut

Lindt Mini Lambs: wheat; cross contamination – tree nut, peanut

M&M Fun Size: peanuts

Milky Way Minis: malted barley, peanuts

Nerds Bumpy Jelly Beans: corn

Nestle Butter Finger Nest Eggs: cross contamination – corn, tree nuts, peanuts

Nestle Creamy Caramel Nest Eggs: cross contamination – peanuts, tree nuts and peanuts

Nestle Crunch Nest Eggs: wheat

Palmer Baby Binks: corn; cross contamination - peanut, tree nut

Palmer Bunny Big Foot: wheat; cross contamination peanuts, tree nuts, corn

Palmer Peter Candy Tail: corn; cross contamination – peanut, tree nut

Palmer Peter Rabbit: corn; cross contamination – peanuts, tree nuts

Palmer School Mates: cross contamination – tree nuts, peanut

Palmer Small Bunnies: cross contamination – tree nuts, peanut

Palmer’s Ginormous Egg: wheat; cross contamination – tree nuts

Palmer’s My Little Bunny: wheat; cross contamination – peanut, tree nut

Peeps Milk Chocolate Covered Marshmallow: corn; cross contamination – tree nut, peanut, coconut

Peeps: corn

Peter Rabbit Original: cross contamination – peanut, tree nut, wheat, eggs

Pez: corn

Rain Blo Bubble Gum Eggs: corn

Reese’s (yellow package) Peanut Butter Eggs: peanuts

Reese’s Easter Assortment: egg, corn

Reese’s Mini Reester Bunnies: wheat

Reese’s Minis: peanuts

Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs 6 pack: peanuts

Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs: wheat and peanuts

Reese’s Pieces: peanuts

Reese’s Reaster Bunny 5 ounce single: peanuts

Reese’s Reester Bunies: wheat

Rolo: safe

Russell Stover Dark Chocolate Solid Bunny: cross contamination – peanut, tree nut, egg, wheat

Russell Stover Milk Chocolate Solid Bunny: cross contamination – peanut, tree nut, egg, wheat

Russell Stover White Chocolate Solid Bunny: cross contamination – peanut, tree nut, egg, wheat

Sour Patch Jelly Beans: corn; cross contamination – wheat, soy, tree nuts

Spree Jelly Beans: corn, wheat

Superior Milk Chocolate Bunny: milk

Sweet Tarts and Spree: cross contamination – wheat

Tattoo Lollipops: corn

Tootsie Pop Easter Egg: safe

Tootsie Roll Midgies: corn

Twix: wheat, peanuts

Whoppers Eggs: corn, wheat

Whoppers Mini Robin Eggs: wheat, corn

Whoppers Robin Eggs: wheat

Wonka Everlasting Gobstopper Egg Breakers: corn

Wonka Giant Pixi Stix: safe

Wonka Nerds: corn

Wonka Runts Freckled Eggs: corn

Wonka Runts Freckled Eggs: safe

Wonka Spring Time Fun Dip: safe

Wonka Sweet Tarts Bunnies Gummies: corn

Wonka Sweetart Chicks, Ducks and Bunnies: safe

Wonka Sweetarts Jelly Beans: corn, wheat

Again, please read package ingredients before you buy them. Hopefully this is helpful and gives you an idea as to what to look out for. I tried to cover as much as I could with each kind of candy, but being human, there is a margin of error. If you find information contrary to what I have listed, please feel free to post any information you find. We all would benefit from your added input.

Have a wonderful and safe Easter and happy spring to you!