Loving GLUTEN FREE Chocolate Bars… (Updated October 2015)

From my previous posting about Gluten Free Chocolate Bars, it is timely to refresh my research as Manufacturers regularly change their recipes and ingredient listings. Indeed, it’s National Chocolate Week (12/10/15- 18/10/15) so a great time to celebrate GLUTEN FREE Chocolate Bars: so there is even more choice for GLUTEN FREE chocolates than ever before… It’s just knowing what choice you have…

This post includes pictures of the GLUTEN FREE Chocolate Bars (and Bags) as well as links direct to Manufacturer’s websites so you can see the publicly available information. This is accurate as of October 2015 but Chocolate Bar recipes, mixes and manufacturing changes: so ALWAYS READ THE LABEL!

CADBURYS:

Since my last update in posting in August 2014, Cadburys have adjusted their ingredients listings and removed a few chocolate bar products which used to be classified as “GLUTEN ABSENT“.

Those which are GLUTEN ABSENT are as follows:

Wispa
Wispa Gold
Twirl
Flake
Crunchie
Fudge
Curly Wurly
Chomp
Turkish Delight

The following bags of chocolate are GLUTEN ABSENT!

Dairy Milk Peebles
Bitsa Wispa
Twirl Bites
Caramel Nibbles
Giant Buttons
Buttons (regular size)
White Chooclate Buttons (regular size)
Eclairs
Eclairs Orange
Eclairs Velvet
Eclairs Velvet Coffee
Heroes
Milk Tray
Roses

Strange Cadburys talk about Gluten Absent products rather than GLUTEN FREE and always check out their latest information to ensure you are up to date with their ingredients and recipe changes.

If you look online, they have a menu board which if you select the “gluten Absent”, it shows you their current range of products. But note, on the mobile website, this information does not always configure correctly (and it can show bars which do contain wheat and /or may contain wheat, [but it is clearly stated after the ingredients in the product description and ingredients so always read on]).

NESTLE:

Nestle produce a very comprehensive listing of products which are suitable for people avoiding Gluten. This has been updated with the current latest version of this information but it is updated regularly and they have added further chocolate brands since I reviewed their offerings last. (Nestle List Dated October 2015). This is always updated (early in the month) and they highlight (in bold), the latest additions.

On their website they give a good explanation to their Gluten Avoidance listing. This highlights products that do not “contain wheat, barley, oats, rye or any added gluten”.

AERO

The following Aero branded bars are GLUTEN FREE:

Peppermint Bubbles
Milk Chocolate Bars (Medium & Large sharing bars)
Peppermint Bar (Medium & Large sharing bars)
White Chocolate Bar (Medium & Large sharing bars)
White Chocolate Bubbles
Mousse Bar (Medium & Large sharing bars)
Minis

Those who have followed my blog will notice that the Mousse bar is a new addition to the list!

ROLO:

Only one ROLO product is deemed by Nestle to be GLUTEN FREE:

Rolo Chocolate Sharing Bar

ANIMAL BAR:

The Animal Bars (in a wide variety of colourful animal cartoon covered packages) are all GLUTEN FREE.

MILKYBAR:

The following single MilkyBar branded product is GLUTEN FREE.

Milkybar Giant White Chocolate Buttons

CARAMAC:

The following Chocolate bag is GLUTEN FREE:

Caramac Buttons

This is a new addition by Nestle.

TOFFEE CRISP:

The following Chocolate Bar is GLUTEN FREE:

Toffee Crisp Chocolate Sharing Block.

YORKIE:

The following Chocolate Bar is GLUTEN FREE:

Yorkie Peanut Chocolate Bar.

With such a variety of Brands within the stable of “Nestle”, it is surprising that selective products are GLUTEN FREE. This is understandably (if a little confusing) as they make different bars in different factories and even in the same factory, they may make them on different lines (where they are able to manage the risks of cross-contamination). Check out their October listing for Gluten-Absent products.

CHOCOLATE BOXES (by Nestle):

The following Chocolate Boxes (rather than bars) are GLUTEN FREE from Nestle:

Matchmakers Mint
Matchmakers Orange
Matchmakers Honeycomb
After Eights
Quality Streets

The Nestle GLUTEN-AVOIDANCE list also include other GLUTEN FREE products (Yogurts, Fromage Frais, desserts and beverages).

MARS:

Mars used to provide really good information on their website by individual brand and by product which showed the nutrition, GDAs, Allergens, Dietary Suitability and Ingredients. It was not straight-forwards in selecting GF options but with some effort you can understand which ones are for you. For example, I learnt Twix Bars contain Gluten (Wheat) and may contain Barley and Oats as well whereas Snicker Bars contain no Gluten but I can’t eat them because they also include peanuts (expected), soya beans, Egg (not expected!), Milk and Lactose! When it was live, and I wrote my previous post (JULY 2014), I learned was Milky Way Magic Stars are GLUTEN FREE but regular Milk Way Bars are NOT! My previous post did include Mars information but as this information is no longer online, until such a time that I can validate my previous knowledge and share links, I have focused upon GALAXY, whom have their own website and clearly share information on ingredients and allergies. (Although the music can become grating!)

GALAXY:

They state on the website that “Allergen labelling policy: Our policy on allergen labelling is to be clear, to label the allergen within the ingredients list, where a product contains allergenic ingredients as part of the recipe or as a separate statement as ‘May contain traces: Allergen’ where presence of an allergen can arise from shared production lines. Food safety is important to us and we treat allergens and their possible impact very seriously. We include all EU listed food allergens within our food safety assessments and our procedures are in compliance with best practice, follow the European food labelling legislation and the guidelines from the Food Standards Agency.”

Whilst this is useful; you should check individual bars, (which suggests they are made in different factories). All Galaxy Ripples do not contain any GLUTEN- containing ingredients, however, a 5 pack of Ripples [85g] has a “May contain nuts” warning whereas individual bars and the 7 pack of Ripples [231g] does not. So read all labels!):

The following GALAXY Bars are GLUTEN FREE (as in October 2015):

Bubbles Bar (31g)
Bubbles Bar (100g)
Milk Chocolate Bar Large (390g)
Milk Kingsize (75g)
Milk Little Treat (23g)

The following Minstrels products are GLUTEN FREE:

2 Pack (126g)
Big Bag (66g)
Large Pouch (290g)
Standard Bag (42g)
Standard Pouch (153g)
Treat Bag (105g)

And the following Galaxy Ripple Bars are GLUTEN FREE: (although note the above comment about nut warnings):

4 Pack (132g)
7 Pack (231g)
5 Pack (85g)
Individual Bar (33g)

Mars have a lot of bars which we cannot eat which means some Big Brands we have to avoid: Revels, Topic, Tracker and Mars until we get GLUTEN FREE variations!

GREEN & BLACK:

Interestingly, Green and Blacks on their website state “Some of our products are suitable for people who have to avoid gluten in their diet. Please visit our nutrition page summarising what the “contains symbols” for each product and those which do not. Although some of our products do not use cereal ingredients, they are produced in a factory that does handle them and therefore there are risks of cross contact“.

So from their own website, I have listed out the Chocolate Bars which are made without any cereal or GLUTEN CONTAINING Ingredients and individuals will have to take the decision whether to risk cross contamination.

Dark 37& Thin
Milk 37% Thin
Salted Caramel 37% Thin
Mint Crisp 37% Thin
White 30%
Blood Orange 37%
Lemon 37%
Sea Salt 37%
Milk 37%
Butterscotch 37%
Almond 37%
Raisin & Hazelnut 37%
Burnt Toffee 37%
Maya Gold 60%
Hazelnut & Currant 60%
Ginger 60%
Dark 70%
Dark 85%

Dark Chocolate Bars do not contain milk as an ingredient with the exception of the Burnt Toffee which states “Butter from Milk” whereas the Milk Chocolate versions usually do!

LINDT:

Lindt are a controversial Chocolatier and I debated whether to include them into my review of Chocolate Bars as several versions do contain barley extract (such as the Extra Creamy Excellence Bar) and Lindt make the point of cross-contamination in their literature (similarly to Green & Blacks) specifically on their FAQ on the USA Website. Therefore, if you are very sensitive to “may contain wheat” then, avoiding Lindt is probably best.

(Lindt brands which contain barley malt extract include: Lindor, Lindt Creation, Hello, Master Chocolatier Collection, Swiss Luxury Selection, Gold Bunny and Chocolate Teddy. With some using wheat as an ingredient within the stabilizer and /or in the biscuit flavourings).

The majority of the Excellence Range are made with ingredients that do not contain GLUTEN:

90% Cocoa
85% Dark
70% Dark
Dark Cocoa Nibs
Dark Lime Intense
Dark Noir
Dark Cherry Intense
Dark Sea Salt
Dark Caramel & Sea Salt
Dark Sea Salt
Chili
Dark Coconut Intense
Dark Orange Intense
Dark Mint Intense
Dark Blueberry Intense
Dark Strawberry Intense
White with a Touch of Vanilla

But read the labels (for example, the Extra Creamy Excellence Bar contains barley malt powder:)

(And the Excellence Dark Sesame Intense has the “May contain wheat” warning on it).

TOBLERONE

Tolberone confirm on their website that they do not contain “any GLUTEN ingredients“ in any of their products.

These include:

Toblerone Milk
Toblerone Dark
Toblerone Honeycomb Crisp
Tolberone White
Tolberone Fruit & Nut
Tolberone Tobella

HOTEL CHOCOLAT:

This is a new addition to my review of Chocolate Bars. On their website, they state; “At Hotel Chocolat we believe everyone should be able to include top-quality chocolate at the heart of a healthy lifestyle. These items are suitable for any chocolate lover following a gluten-restricted diet. Please be aware that we handle biscuits in our factory, this product may contain gluten traces“. In addition, they comment in their information on dietary requirements: “Most of our chocolates do not have gluten in the recipe, however avoid chocolates with biscuits and feuilletine (crispy pancake pieces). Chocolates containing gluten are clearly labelled both on packaging and on our website.”

As this is more “gift” chocolate rather than regular bars, I have included a selection of Hotel Chocolat Slabs which are GLUTEN FREE:

Coconut & Coconut Slab Selector
Coffee & Walnut Slab Selector
Dark Mint Slab Selector
Fruit & Nut Frenzy Selector
Passion Fruit Slab Selector
Rasberry & Vanilla Slab Selector
Peanut Butter Slab Selector
Triple Chocolate Wham Bam Giant 500g Slab! (A very large bar!)
Hazelnut 70% Dark Chocolate slab Selector
Supermilk Hazelnut Slab Selector
Supermilk Orange Selector.

At Hotel Chocolat, I have found the staff very friendly and helpful, in distinguishing which selection boxes and chocolates are GLUTEN FREE.

THORNTONS:

Another Chocolatier (included in my review of Chocolate Bars for the first time) whom offer a large selection of gift items but also make some regular sized Chocolate Bars which are GLUTEN FREE. They can be found on many High Streets as well as competing in other mainstream shops alongside Cadburys, Mars and others. On their website, they also have an informative blurb about dietary requirements and link back to Coeliac UK.

They also clearly explain their own usage of Wheat and their labeling: ‘No-gluten containing ingredients’ indicates that the product recipe does not include any gluten-containing ingredients and that, during manufacturing steps have been taken to minimise the risk of cross-contamination from gluten. Some of our products do contain gluten and this will be indicated on the packaging as the relevant cereals will be highlighted in bold in the ingredients list. Please note – we do use wheat based glucose syrups & dextrose in many of our products which, although not classed as gluten-containing (see exemptions above), may not be suitable for customers requesting information on wheat-free recipes. The presence of Glucose Syrup & Dextrose will be indicated as such in the ingredients list (although without the reference to wheat).”

The following bars are GLUTEN FREE:

Coffee & Walnut Chocolate Block (90g)
Magnificently Milk Chocolate Block
Wickedly White Chocolate Block
70% Dark Chilli Chocolate Block
Salted Pistachio Chocolate Block
Mint Crunch Dark Chocolate Block
Honeycomb Milk Chocolate Block
70% Dark Ginger Chocolate Block
70% Deliciously Dark Chocolate Block
Chocolate Truffle Bar (33g)
Nut Crunch Chocolate Bar
Continental Alpini Bar
Continental Cappuccino Bar
Continental Viennese Bar
Continental Lemon Bar
Classics Turkish Delight Bar
Classics Marzipan Bar
No Added Sugar Dark Chocolate Bar 75g
No Added Sugar Milk Chocolate Bar
No Added Sugar Vanilla Fudge Bar

KINDER:

A favourite Chocolate of mine, (not all in a bar format but definitely something you can handle). Loving Kinder Eggs, made by Ferrero. They have developed this product line into conventional “bars” but these come without the toy (so in my eyes, are less attractive as was more the fun with the Eggs!). Kinder Canada provide ingredient listing as does the UK website (after you have confirmed your age). And FAQ from Kinder Australia gives more serious details about the contents versus fun graphics and colourful playfulness on the UK website. They are also confirmed GLUTEN FREE by Coeliac UK.

They do have a Kinder Chocolate Bar with cereal which contains GLUTEN! (listing 5 different crunchy cereals: barley, rice, wheat, spelt and buckwheat) and also biscuit/wafer based bars some shaped into animals such as a Hippo (which also contain GLUTEN [wheat]) so select carefully!

The following Kinder Chocolates do not contain GLUTEN:

Kinder Surprise Egg (Single 30g)
Kinder Surprise Egg 3 Pack (60g)
Kinder Chocolate Mini Pillow bag (30g)
Kinder Chocolate Mini Pouch bag (108g)
Kinder Chocolate Medium Bar (21g)
Kinder Chocolate Medium Bar 6 Pack

So lots of GLUTEN FREE Chocolate Bars which you can enjoy!

PLEASE NOTE:

Other GLUTEN FREE Chocolate Bars are available (but check the labels for the Ingredients and any warnings the Manufacturers place on them).
Supermarkets offer their own-label Chocolate Bars, some of which are GLUTEN FREE but read the labels. (For example: M&S produce a monthly GF listing and provide specific information for Coeliacs).
No money, samples or freebies have been provided by any of the featured Manufacturers.
This information was correct as of OCTOBER 2015. The links should take you to relevant manufacturer’s pages where the latest information should be available.

If you are a member of Coeliac UK, they produce a comprehensive directory which covers over 16,000 food and drink items (including GLUTEN FREE Chocolate Bars). This is available in a paper-based Manual and online FREE to members of Coeliac UK.

One of the hard-hitting posters (featuring Yours Truly) from Coeliac UK launched for Awareness Week, held earlier in 2015. And possibly to be seen in 2016.

SIGN UP so you do not miss out on future updates to the Chocolate Bar listing, as well as new Restaurant Reviews, Product Reviews and (occasional) Recipes. Also check out my posts on GLUTEN FREE Ice Cream, GLUTEN FREE Advent Calendars, GLUTEN FREE Mince Pies, GLUTEN FREE Easter Eggs and GLUTEN FREE Valentines Treats.

This information was correct as of OCTOBER 2015.

But as I am learning, ingredients do change and therefore you should always read the label and check for yourself whether it is GLUTEN FREE or not!