Discovering you need to have a gluten-free diet can be
overwhelming and you can become unsure about what you can and can’t eat. I had
to search the town this Easter to find her an Easter egg that was gluten-free.
I found one eventually in a delicatessen. The fact is that my celiac daughter
loves chocolate, but the question is – Is chocolate gluten-free or does it
contain gluten? The answer is that it depends on the chocolate and you must
check the label.
Not all chocolate can be included in your gluten-free diet,
even if gluten isn’t listed as a deliberate ingredient on the
ingredients list. But chocoholics don’t despair — there are some gluten-free
chocolate candies on the market. Although many chocolate products you see in
stores won't be considered gluten-free, it's still possible to get your
chocolate fix even if you're following a strict gluten-free diet by checking
the labels carefully.
Do not purchase any chocolate with gluten ingredients, or
labels which say ‘manufactured in the same facility where gluten has been
processed”, or ‘may contain gluten” statements, because the manufacturer has
decided that there is a risk that the product could be contaminated with gluten.
With this in mind, it’s important that you carefully select your chocolate
products to make sure they are gluten-free and safe for your diet.
Pure chocolate (usually dark chocolate) and cocoa beans do
not contain gluten. Pure, unsweetened chocolate, made by liquefying roasted
cacao beans and containing nothing but those roasted beans, should be
completely gluten-free. But pure, unsweetened chocolate also doesn't taste very
good so manufacturers add sweeteners to it.
To make the purest version of the sweetened, smooth candy
we know as "chocolate," manufacturers take what's called
"chocolate liquor" which is the liquefied cacao beans or "cocoa
mass" and blend it with cocoa butter (fat from the cacao beans), plus
sugar. All of which should be gluten-free. Some of the highest-quality
chocolates available include only these three ingredients, and it's this
combination that makes " dark chocolate" such a taste sensation.
High quality milk chocolate contains these same three ingredients
but also has just powdered milk added. These 4 ingredients should be gluten
free.
But unfortunately, the problem is that most chocolate
brands are often mixed with ingredients that do contain gluten. For example, a
chocolate candy bar that contains a wafer or other ingredient made from wheat
would definitely contain gluten, whereas a plain chocolate bar, or a chocolate
bar containing fruit and nuts may not.
Gluten containing ingredients that may be added to chocolate
bars, include pretzels, cookies, maltodextrin from wheat and barley malt. So when
buying chocolate, it is important to always READ THE LABEL to check for signs
of wheat, barley, rye or oats and their derivatives. It is
not very often that a manufacturer will claim that their chocolate is gluten
free.
For example, one of my favorite chocolate brands is Lindt
Chocolates, but unfortunately a celiac cannot eat it because Lindt uses barley
malt which does contain gluten in many of its products.
Cross Contamination
Not only can chocolate contain gluten if gluten containing
ingredients are added, it may also contain gluten if it is contaminated with
wheat, barley or rye during processing. For example, if a chocolate bar is
manufactured on the same equipment as liquorice, which usually contains wheat,
it may contain trace amounts of gluten picked up on the equipment. For this
reason, many companies that produced wheat products in their facility do not label
their chocolate as “gluten-free.”
For example, two of the big chocolate producers Nestle and
Cadbury provide lists of products that contain no gluten ingredients. They
produce numerous products that do not have gluten ingredients. But keep in mind
that both of these companies also produce products that contain gluten
ingredients, so cross contamination may be an issue.
In fact, Cadbury has updated their packaging to say 'may
contain wheat or gluten'. This means that is it no longer deemed gluten
free or safe to eat, for a person requiring a gluten-free diet.
Certified Gluten-Free Products
A few chocolate products are certified gluten-free by Gluten
Free Certification Organizations, which inspect facilities and test products to
ensure they are gluten-free. Chocolate labelled “gluten-free” must meet the gluten-free
standard for gluten-free labeling regulated in the country it is to be sold.
In most countries this is less than 20 parts per million of gluten. But some
countries such as Australia and NZ have tighter limits.
For example, Haigh’s chocolates in Australia make a range
of “Free Of Gluten” chocolates.
Other
So much confectionery is off limits to a celiac due to
gluten being used in the actual product and/or the manufacturing process. Cross contamination seems to be a big concern
for most candy manufacturers. So the same rules discussed with chocolate apply to confectionery.
Chocolate Drinks
Pure cocoa powder is gluten-free but hot chocolate powders,
chocolate sprinkles and toppings for cappuccinos need to be checked because
they often contain gluten. Also milkshake syrups are often not gluten free so you need to check the ingredients for these as well.
An the question is does your local cafe know what it means to be 100% gluten-free? I have prepared this book to show them how! Click Here to access
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