I’ve gone to the most basic, regular, grocery store and easily pulled off eight candies that are all top eight free! If you’ve ever wondered what type of candy to get a kid with food allergies, here is an easy-to-find list. All candies are free of the most common allergens: gluten, dairy, egg, soy, fish, shellfish, peanut and tree nuts! This list is great for class parties, class rewards, and especially HALLOWEEN!
Why I Made a List of Allergy Friendly Candy
I literally get asked “What in the world do you feed your children” question constantly when people hear that my oldest has so many food allergies. But, you’d be so surprised! It can be done!
My entire blog and social media is to help break down this ginormous question. My goal is to help you find items that are easily attainable.
I’ve been asked the “What in the World Do You Feed Your Kids” question by fellow church members, teachers, friends, and neighbors and I’m sure the list will go on as my kids get older. So, not only do I hope that this series will be helpful for others, but I’ll probably start giving this link out as well! It’s so nice to have a handy-dandy list somewhere that is easily sharable.
We avoid: wheat, gluten, dairy, egg, peanut, tree nuts, beef, and goat’s milk. And yes, those are all anaphylactic allergies. My son has had anaphylaxis four times, and we go and get re-tested every year by the allergist to confirm. Those are not just intolerances and reading labels can be the difference between life and death for my family.
Please note I am not sponsored by any of these companies, although–I’d totally be open to it (wink, wink, cough, cough). These are just candies we’ve found that work for us, and I want it to be a helpful resource. That said–I did receive the chocolate bars for free in light of full transparency. Speaking of the chocolate…
One thing you’ll notice right off the bat is that there is only one kind of chocolate! Chocolate is a landmine for allergies, so I wasn’t even going to include any. We almost always have to stick to something fruity and gummy. However, I did want people to be aware that they do exist, but you’ll typically only find them at specialty stores or online.
You can also find a fun #FacebookLive video I did at my grocery store around this same subject. Some are the same, and some are not. I just dared myself to spend only a minute and go up and down the candy aisle and see what I could find. Click on the image below (sorry, because it’s live the still shot isn’t great!) to see it.
I hope that this helps you find a safe treat for a loved one and to help you realize that yes, food-allergic kids can eat some “normal” things. I always find it best to feed everyone to the lowest common denominator, so that everyone can eat the same thing. Not only does that help with inclusion, but it also helps the caretaker or server not worry about little hands or fingers getting a hold of the wrong thing.
Lastly, I know that candy may seem unhealthy–but I do have little kids, who happened to get the sugar-addicted gene from me! And, I find we tend to eat more candy during the summer. There’s lots of get-togethers, movies, road trips–you name it and the candy is typically involved. So, I’ll try to post a salad next, ha!
WHAT CANDY ARE PEOPLE LEAST ALLERGIC TO?
This is a hard question to answer as people can be allergic to almost anything and there is a wide variety and spectrum. I do know some people who have no safe foods, and they are on a feeding tube with elemental formula as their safe food and they still eat Dum Dum suckers, because everything in them is artificial, so there are no “real” foods to react to. However, some people avoid artifical food colors, so it can’t be a hard and fast rule. So, always check with someone before giving them or their child a dum dum sucker, or any candy as each may have their own medical protocols and it may not be across the board.
Important note about allergy-friendly candy
Now, as with all things food allergy: PLEASE consult the parent of the food-allergic child before buying or feeding them anything. Unfortunately, there aren’t many hard and fast rules when it comes to food allergies, and each parent may feel comfortable with different things. For example, some allergies are so severe that they have to call each manufacturer to find out what is processed on the same lines, as it’s not a federal requirement to list if there is a “may contain” warning. I have not made any calls on behalf of these candies. I went strictly off labels, and the fact that my kids have eaten these many times without any issues–*for our particular and individual circumstances*. Only YOU can protect you, right? MMM-K thanks.
Happy and SAFE snacking!
OFFICIAL LIST OF OUR FAVORITE TOP-8 FREE CANDIES FOR FOOD ALLERGIES:
- Dum Dum Suckers
- Smarties (please note in Canada they’re called Rockets, smarties in Canada have chocolate & are not allergy-friendly)
- Skittles
- Mike and Ikes
- Starbursts
- Lifesavers
- Life Saver Gummies
- Dots
- Enjoy Life Chocolate
- Sweedish Fish
- Air Heads (Note: They have soybean oil. Check with your allergist, but many who have a soybean allergy can eat the oil. Source.)
- Pixy Stix
- Laffy Taffy (Note: They have soy lecithin. Check with your allergist, but many who have a soybean allergy can eat soy lecithin. Source.)
- Ring Pops
- Jolly Ranchers (Note: They have soy lecithin. Check with your allergist, but many who have a soybean allergy can eat soy lecithin. Source.)
- Dubble Bubble Gum (does have a warning “soy may be present” so call & check if you have soy allergies)
- Fun Dip
- Starburst Pops
- Surf Sweets–has many types of candies
- Sour Patch Kids
- Fruit snacks (Annie’s–vegan too!, Welch’s, Mott’s, Black Forest)
- Fruit Roll Ups
- Fruit By The Foot
- Krabby Patties (Does have a manufactured with other allergens warning, so don’t use if not comfortable with that)
- Gushers
- Fluffy Stuff (cotton candy)
- Jolly Rancher Gummies
- Jelly Belly
- Starburst Jelly Beans
- Lemonheads (has a “made in a facility” warning)
PLEASE NOTE that variations of candy, or seasonal candy sometimes have different ingredients than it’s classic counterpart, so always double check your labels and never assume!
*Please note I am an Amazon affiliate, so if you purchase them through the links I provided, I will receive a small wage, at no cost to you. This helps run my blog, thanks in advance!
Looking for more safe candy ideas for food allergies, check out these posts:
Allergy-friendly Easter Candy (Store-bought, top-8-free)
Ten Top-8-free Valentine Candies
How we trick-or-treat with Food Allergies
Do you want to make a homemade allergy-friendly treat? Here are some super simple ones:
Allergy-friendly Rice Krispie Treats (Top-8-free & Vegan Option)
How to Make Jello Dairy-Free (Top-8-Free Too!)
Hi! I’m Megan, a mom to four kids, two with multiple food allergies & one with EOE. I’m a published cookbook author who constantly tweaks recipes to make them allergy-friendly—it’s an addiction. I’m also a member of the Allergy Advisory Council for Certified Free From Foods, where I help advocate for safer labeling and standards. I share every recipe & tip with the hope that they help you as you manage your food allergies & dietary restrictions. You can still be awesome, even with food allergies!
Lynette Mauger
Are these candies okay for people with corn syrup allergy?
Megan Lavin
Hi Lynette. As I made this list for those with top 8 allergies, it does include candies that have corn syrup. Sadly, a lot of candies deemed allergy friendly are typically corn syrup, food coloring and artificial flavoring. You’ll need to check individual labels to see if there is corn syrup in the list of ingredients. I tried to link to most of them, so that you can pull them up and easily see without having to google them yourself. I hope you can find some things that work for you!
Megan Lavin
I do believe that a brand, Surf Sweets, avoids corn syrup products, so maybe check them out!
John
Smarties are a chocolate candy like M&Ms in Canada
Megan Lavin
Right. That’s why I have the info in parenthesis next to it. “Smarties (please note in Canada they’re called Rockets, smarties in Canada have chocolate & are not allergy friendly)”
Father, co-host, producer, editor of The Middle School Mind
Thank you so much for this list! My daughter (peanuts, shellfish) and son (tree nuts, sesame) have had to manage their severe food allergies for some time. Halloween is right around the corner and my kids need to be super wary of what’s in their bag. My son and I have a podcast, The Middle School Mind, and we just released two episodes where we review the allergy-friendly Halloween candy that we are giving out this year. Please take a listen!
https://themiddleschoolmind.com/2-7-allergy-safe-halloween-candy-part-1/
In this episode: Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers Mini, Laffy Taffy, Jolly Rancher Stix, Nerds, Milk Duds and Rolo
https://themiddleschoolmind.com/2-8-allergy-safe-halloween-candy-part-2/
In this episode: Jolly Rancher Gummies, Goetze’s Bullseye Caramel Creams, Jolly Rancher Lollipops, Whoppers, Sweet Tarts and Oreos
Marissa
I just wanted to say how much I have appreciated having your blog as a resource. After finding out that my son is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and dairy I have been overwhelmed to say the least. Thank you for the time, work, and research you do and for putting this information out there.
Megan Lavin
That’s a hard combo. My son had that combo (recently outgrew eggs) and I’m so happy the pain we went through can be useful to someone else on the same journey. Take care and thanks for your kind comment on my site.
Jo Whitaker
Thanks. I’m doing a Teal Pumpkin for Halloween and I’ll use your list to select the candy.
No kid should have to skip Halloween just because they can’t eat a Snickers.
Megan Lavin
Yes, all kids should be included. Glad the list was helpful.
Rachel
It looks like there’s a small culture clash in the comments. American Smarties (hard, light pastel color, circular pill looking) are indeed top 8 free. For Europe/Canada Smarties are chocolate, similar to M&Ms, with a vibrant shell. Probably best to clarify whenever making a statement about either.
That being said, I love this series! Sometimes it’s difficult to find out what “normal” things you can eat. I stumbled across this blog a couple days ago and it’s amazing!
Heather M
Smarties??? The main ingredient is MILK chocolate. They are absolutely NOT top 8 allergy free. My son is allergic to milk and egg and I was excited to read this post as it is difficult to find him treats for the holidays and Easter is around the corner. I truly hope your readers didn’t trust your list and give Smarties to any children with milk allergies. You should be 100% sure of what your posting when it comes to such important matters.
Megan Lavin
Heather, I appreciate you making sure that people are being careful when talking about food allergies. When posting things like “such and such has XX allergen” please list a source.
For example, if you go to the smarties homepage, they list this:
“YES! All Smarties® products are free from peanuts, treenuts (e.g. almonds, walnuts, pecans), shellfish, fish, milk, eggs, soybean and wheat. If the UPC number on the packaging begins with “0 11206”, you can be assured that it is manufactured in a peanut-free facility as well.” SOURCE: https://www.smarties.com/faqs/
So, I’m not sure where you’ve read that Smarties have milk, as I have never and the direct maker of them claims they are milk free as well.
Amber
Megan, I too was wondering about milk in Smarties product and thought how interesting that Canada does that. I took to researching, are Canada Smarties dairy free, this is what came up. Apparently their Smarties treat size does. I learned something new.
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.madewithnestle.ca/&sa=U&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjdqoTFh6aEAxUeMzQIHfHMDDUQFnoECAQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0iYjlHQxfgVBFpkfA2k-By
Nestle Good food, Good life
smarties ingredient 10 g
Buy in Store
Nutrition Information
Ingredients
Feedback
SMARTIES treat size – smarties ingredient Ingredients
Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Milk Ingredients, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Whey Powder, Lactose, Soya Lecithin, Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate, Natural Flavour), Sugar, Wheat Flour, Modified Corn Starch, Carnauba Wax, Colour. Colour mix may vary. Small candies may pose a choking hazard.
Megan Lavin
Thanks for the info!
Carolyn
The US smarties are not chocolate. You must be from Canada.
Elle @ Only Taste Matters
What a fantastic series! This is a great post and I can’t wait to read the future ones.
Megan Lavin
Thanks Elle! I’m excited for the next installation of this series!
Keeley McGuire
Great post! It’s a question I get asked often. Many don’t realize these yummy candies are allergy-friendly. 🙂
Sandi (@fearless_dining)
I love this idea….our kids love the candies you found.
Amanda
This is awesome! It is so great to have treats that are top 8 free!
Megan Lavin
Amanda–thanks! Yes, top 8 free treats are the best! 🙂
Alisa Fleming
I think this is such a great series idea! I admit, too, that I’ve never outgrown my love for candy. My favorite is Runts, but I’m not sure if they are fully allergy-safe for the top 8.
Megan Lavin
Thanks! I know, I eat way more candy than I should. I havent’ seen a box of Runts in forever–so I’m not sure if it’s allergy friendly or not. I’ll be on the look out now 🙂
Ricki
Will be sharing this with my friends whose kids have allergies–thank you for this post!
Megan Lavin
You’re so very welcome!
amanda -runtothefinish
Mike and Ikes have been a long time favorite around here, good to know they don’t have anything that’s going to make me feel bad either!!
Megan Lavin
Yes, I’ve been known to eat an entire box myself. Mike n Ike lovers unite!
Gluten Free With Emily
I get asked “what do you eat?” All the time too!
Megan Lavin
Seriously. It’s the question you can count on being asked when you eat differently!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed
Love your article, there is so much goodness and knowledge here. Thank you for sharing.
Megan Lavin
Ahh, thanks so much Megan! That’s one of the goals of my blog is to spread awareness and knowledge of food allergies, so that makes me so happy you feel it does that.
Kelly @ TastingPage
Good information to share to those parents who have kids with allergies. Knowledge is king!
Megan Lavin
Thanks Kelly! Yes, knowledge definitely is power, and in food allergy cases, saves lives!
Heather
My heart goes out to all parents whose children have allergies. This is a very helpful post!! My hope is that these companies offer organic options in the future.
Megan Lavin
Thank you! Yes, if they could make them organic and dye free, that’d be even better. Baby steps! 🙂
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons
Great list! I’m always happy when schools send home recommendations for treats/snacks when their are allergic kiddos in the class-happy to keep them safe, but nice when it’s easy!
Megan Lavin
So glad you found it helpful. Yes, it’s nice to arm everyoen with info. I know most are willing, but just don’t know what. Thanks!!
Cricket Plunkett
Swedish fist are my favorite too, glad to see they made the list!
Megan Lavin
They’re my favs too!
Nutrimom
I see a lot of familiars that we use but one of our favorites is Enjoy Life Foods 😉
Megan Lavin
Yes, thank goodness for them, otherwise my son would never know what a chocolate bar tasted like!
Julie
This is a great post. There are so many people that don’t even give it a thought when offering children candy that it may be a bad idea.
Megan Lavin
Thanks so much Julie! I hope by bringing this to people’s attention it will help them think. I appreciate it.
Michelle
I just wanted to put out a warning my son (TN/PN, milk, egg, sesame anaphylactic) has eaten jelly belly jelly beans for YEARS and yesterday we got a new bag and he got an itchy rash all over his mouth and looked at label it now says “may contain milk and peanuts”. So frustrating
Megan Lavin
Have you called the manufacturer to determine what has changed in their process? I’m so sorry that happened to him. And, they could have changed nothing, but determined that they wanted to more legally cover their butts. Might be worth looking into further.
Celeste
I always stock up on Dum Dums for Halloween, but I had no idea these other candies were top 8 free too! Thanks for this great list, I’ll be sharing it for sure!
Megan Lavin
Thanks Celeste! Yes, I’ll def have to re-share this around Halloween!
Katie Clark
This was such a great post! I think it’s so important for everyone to know about different products that are (often) good for allergen-free children. I will definitely be keeping this one handy for reference later on. And I loved your FB live video – you are so good on camera!
Megan Lavin
Thanks so much for the kind words, Katie! Yes, I’m hoping to re-share this at the beginning of the school year, as I think people would be willing to be more accomodating, if they realized that there’s many things that are easy, that their kids already like too! Hugs!