When you’ve got a kid with allergies, Halloween is a unique challenge of its own. Navigating through piles of candy that your kiddo may or may not be allergic to is not the easiest task, which is why we’ve put together a list of candies and treats that skip some of the most common allergens, like tree nuts, gluten, soy and dairy. We hope it comes in handy both when buying candy and going through your little one’s haul, but remember: always check the ingredients list and manufacturing practices before letting your littles dive in!
Enjoy Life Chocolate Minis
Enjoy Life, a leading allergen-free food manufacturer, has released their latest treat—Halloween Chocolate Minis. Choose from dark chocolate, ricemilk chocolate, ricemilk crunch and a variety pack. All of the chocolate is free of the top eight allergens and is gluten-free.
Online: enjoylifefoods.com/Halloween-Chocolate-Minisfree2b Foods Sun Cups & Mint Cups
Halloween can be tough for kids with food allergies. That's where free2b comes in. Their line of sun cups and mint cups are top 12 allergen-free, and free from artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, preservatives, hydrogenated oils, palm oil and carrageenan, as well. The entire line is Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Gluten-Free, Certified Vegan, Kosher Pareve and Fair Trade Certified.
Our kid tasters particularly loved the consistency of the filling in both the sunflower and mint options. Buy them in two packs or in Halloween-themed single packs for trick-or-treaters. You can purchase them online or at a store near you.
Black Forest Organic Trick or Treat Mix
Made with real fruit juice and simple ingredients, trick-or-treaters will go wild for this tasty mix from Black Forest Organic. It’s got a nice variety of lollipops, gummies and fruit chews, and they’re all gluten-free and nut-free.
SAFE + FAIR Cookies and Grahams
Allergy-friendly food company SAFE + FAIR has an awesome line of kid-approved treats, including Abby’s Cookies and Remy’s Grahams. The treats are nut-free (and made in a nut-free facility), non-GMO and made with whole grains, so you’ll feel good about handing them out to the little ghouls at your doorstep. SAFE + FAIR even donates 3% of proceeds to the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University.
Online: safeandfair.com
Hu Chocolate
This cult-favorite brand carries a range of delish vegan and paleo chocolate bars in flavors so good, you won’t even want to give them away. Try the cashew butter and raspberry jelly, the crunchy mint or the almond butter and puffed quinoa. All of the bars are free from dairy, palm oils, emulsifiers, soy lecithin, gluten, refined sugar, cane sugar and sugar alcohols, but note that some flavors contain nuts.
Surf Sweets Jelly Beans
Made from organic fruit juice and cane sugar, these sweet beans are free of over 10 allergens, including tree nuts, soy, casein, sesame and more. And, they recently released a new multi-pack—just in time for the big night!
Fear Not Spook Free Chocolatey Treats
Your kid can finally dig into a "peanut" butter cup, a "snickers" bar and "milk" chocolate on Halloween! These individually wrapped treats are milk free, nut free, gluten free and wheat free. They are also vegan, processed in an allergen-free environment and taste great.
Online: nowheychocolate.com
Partake Cookies
Partake makes cookies in three flavors: a yummy (and slightly spiced) carrot oat, sweet potato millet and a wholesome sprouted grain chocolate chip. Thought up by a mom who struggled to find a tasty, allergen-free snack for her own kiddo, each box of cookies is filled with veggies, fruits, and grains, and is free of top allergens, including tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, wheat and more. Gluten-free and non-GMO Project verified, there’s nothing but goodness left in these sweet snacks.
Online: partakefoods.com
Dum Dums
Kids love Dum Dums for the more than 15 different flavors, while parents love the price! Free of the top eight allergens, and made in an allergen-free facility, these suckers are always a good bet. Be sure to look for the newest flavor—pineapple!
Online: amazon.com/dum-dum-lollipops
Welch’s Fruit Snacks
This year Welch's Fruit Snacks has a Halloweeny box and pouch with custom holiday-themed fun shapes that include a bat, a spooky witch, haunted castle, and pumpkin. These guys are completely peanut & tree nut free (and also made in an allergen-free/isolated environment) and perfect for trick or treating, lunchbox treats or parties. The fruity, beloved treats will balance out the overflowing chocolate and candy options for you and your gang.
Online: target.com/welchsfruitsnacks
Sour Patch Kids & Swedish Fish
Even though these classic treats are free of the top eight allergens and are produced and labeled in compliance with FDA Good Manufacturing Practices, kiddos with severe allergies still might want to skip 'em. But, if they get the green light from parents, we found a great combo bag that offers both Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish.
Vermont Nut Free Chocolates
Annually a top pick: the name says it all. Lovingly made in small batches in Vermont, mail-order customers keep coming back for these incredibly delicious chocolates, creamy fudge, and every other candy you can think of! How about jelly beans? Check! Gummy Bears, crunchy-chewy Pretzel Caramel Bark? You know it. Everything is made in a tree-nut free facility (gluten/wheat, soy, eggs and dairy products are processed here, however), and worry-free seasonal candies can be shipped anywhere in the U.S.
Online: vermontnutfree.com
Gimbal’s Cinnamon Lovers
Turn up the heat with these delectable, shiny, soft, allergy-free hearts. Zinged up with spicy real cinnamon oil and bursting with flavor, they're a throwback to the old-school cinnamon hearts from our own childhood. These little red guys are; "Hot! Hot! Hot!", and for calmer palates Gimbals' also has a complete line of other candies. Gimbal's candies are peanut-free, tree nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and egg-free and also include gourmet & sour jelly beans, Sour Lovers, Cherry Lovers, and black-as-Halloween-night Licorice Scotties.
Online: gimbalscandy.com
Smarties
Another one of the candy bunch you've already heard of, but did you know Smarties are free of all Top 8 allergens? These have been dubbed "America's Favorite Candy Roll" since 1949 and Smarties Candy Company has even been featured on the Food Network's "Unwrapped" television show with a fancy-schmancy factory tour so they're about as legit as candy gets. Allergy-free, gluten-free and completely vegan. Timeless.
Online: smarties.com
Wrigley’s
So now you've met some of the new kids on the allergy-free block. Well: look no farther because here's a very familiar face! More than just Juicy Fruit or Spearmint gum, Lifesavers are delightfully allergy-free, the Gummy Life Savers and Creme Savers, too. Skittles & Starburst, oh my! Add Altoids to the allergy safe list, as well, and they're also gluten-free. So find the rainbow, taste the rainbow, and even ride the rainbow of favorite fruit flavors all while remaining allergy safe - and you can find these tasty treats absolutely everywhere.
Online: wrigley.com
PASCHA Chocolate
If dark chocolate is your thing, look no further than PASCHA Chocolate's original assertive, tasty bars. This allergen-free organic chocolate is just right for baking and is such a great addition to recipes it will take your culinary skills to a whole new level (even if the Martha Stewart gene skipped you!). How about kitchen fun on an afternoon that won’t cause any bad reactions? Mail-order chocolate chips can get whipped up into sweet batters for cookies and bars, and whole or mini-bars can be nibbled any old time without allergy-worry—so get cookin' and take a walk on the Dark Side!
Online: paschachocolate.com
—Mireille Schwartz
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