Quick help please with sweets for folk with coeliac disease

[User57713]

Please help me, I don't want to get this wrong.

I want to buy a box of sweets or something for a group ds goes to. Part of the time is spent sitting around a table chatting and eating sweeties. One of the boys has coeliac disease and he often doesn't eat the shared things or brings his own things.

Is there an equivalent to a box of Quality Street or something that I can buy for ds to take in and they can all share?

We have Asda and Sainsburys near us if anyone knows if they have anything suitable? Will it be clearly labelled if it's suitable or do I need to know something more?

Any suggestions for aomething I can order online that will arrive within a few days?

Thank you

Quality street are gluten free. Quite a lot of sweets are, just check the ingredient list for wheat, rye, barley or non-gluten free oats. Also check that it doesn't say "may contain" or "made in a factory that handles".

My dad has coeliacs and I always buy him Minstrels! He lives abroad but loves them...safest thing is to give the boy his own stuff to avoid cross contamination as well.

Oh Minstrels are a good idea then.

I know I could just get him a separate bar of chocolate but I thought it would be nicer if he could join in with everyone else.

Or do you mean in case someone has gluten on their hands and they're all picking sweets out of the same box?

A lot of (most) Haribo are GF Supermix/Starmix/maoam etc are all gf

If there's other gluten containing food that they're all dipping in and out of, then cross contamination will be a problem. But if it's just sharing sweets, then Minstrels, chocolate buttons, or individually wrapped stuff like freddo frogs or haribo are all GF.

Are you sure he doesn't also have a dairy allergy? Might be embarrassed to mention it. I find once kids have something like coeliac they tend to have other things like allergies etc too, or even just intolerances that can trigger flare ups.

Quality Street and Roses are GF, as are all of Heroes except dinky deckers.

Always sensible to double check ingredients lists when you buy though just in case of any changes.

A lot of (most) Haribo are GF Supermix/Starmix/maoam etc are all gf

My ds is vegetarian and doesn't eat Haribo, even the vegetarian ones. And he's got braces so finds sticky chewy stuff annoying.

So he's adding to my difficulty.

Are you sure he doesn't also have a dairy allergy?

Fairly sure. He needs some extra support in making decisions so his family would have made sure we knew. (I think, now I'm doubting myself)

Maybe I'll go for a box of Quality Street and a box of Haribo and he can choose without feeling left out.

But is cross contamination such a problem with dairy too, if folk are eating out of both boxes?

It's a minefield.

Maybe maybe I'll do a Christmas box of individual bags of sweets, would that work? So a nice box (I've got one already) and put bags of haribo, minstrels etc in and everyone can choose? So everything is gf but not everything is dairy free, but it's obvious what is chocolatey and therefore milky? Would that work?

It is so lovely you are considering him OP. My DD is coeliac and I always appreciate it.

Freddos aren't GF.

Yeah that would work OP. Also, kinder chocolate is GF, as are Reeces

Drumstick Squashies too

?? The ingredients are:MILK**, sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, vegetable fats (palm, shea), emulsifiers (E442, E476), flavourings.

Starburst or skittles?

They 'may contain wheat' so not suitable for a coeliac.

Is it because freddos have a 'may contain wheat' warning maybe?

I'm also GF - QS and Roses are gf. All Heroes are too (apart from the dinky deckers), you don't need to buy special free from stuff. Also, most standard Choc is gf, isn't just the processing, some in some cases Dairy Milk will be gf, in others it won't be. Easy to check on the label though. Go for QS or Roses, and thank you for thinking of us!

But they're a may contain.

Ridiculous typos, hope it makes some sort of sense!

Yes! My ds was gutted when he found out and so I could share those 🤣🤣

Agree it's so lovely you are trying to be inclusive by finding something he can share rather than just something for him.

I'd just ask his parents (if you can) what would work best for him

True - better safe than sorry with other people's kids! (but my son and I both eat them he's coeliac and I'm allergic to nuts so we'd never eat anything if we excluded all the 'May contain' foods!!).

Apologies for the unhelpful interjection OP- you sound very thoughtful!!

I think I'll stick with the idea of a box filled with individual packets. So they are all picking out of the same box but not eating the same thing. I'll go for gf options and put that on the box, but if he is also sensitive to dairy he can avoid the obviously chocolatey things.

I'd be a bit nervous about getting it wrong with the likes of Quality Street I think.

I'll have a look in the supermarket tomorrow, it sounds like my options are a good bit wider than I thought they were though.

Thanks for your suggestions.

It also feels a bit weird in this day and age to be sitting around sticking your hand into a communal bag of Minstrels. I would never have thought about that in 2019.

Malteser Santa's are GF, regular Maltesers aren't (last time we checked) as they're made in different factories - one being GF environment, the other not GF. Agreed, it's lovely of you to consider him OP.

Well you said he was GF and QS are GF so nothing to feel nervous about. But if you think he may have other dietary requirements then just ask his parents.

However, it is not unusual for people with CD to also have IBS and whatever you take in they may not feel comfortable eating, so better to take something everyone can have as it's a lot of pressure of something has baked/bought you something specially.