How many people say they are gluten-free?

It seems like everyone claims to be gluten-free, but half of them aren’t even sure what that includes. Even my own sister loosely follows the gluten-free life, but can’t define what exactly she can and cannot eat (a classic youngest sibling move).

After a quick dip into the worldwide web, I came to discover that gluten-free is the avoidance of wheat, barley, or rye from the diet. Whether it be Celiac Disease (an autoimmune disorder) or a personal health choice, over 30% of Americans actively avoid gluten in their diet.

That’s over 98 million people!

For the 70% of those who consume gluten without any consequences, all candy is on the table when your sweet tooth comes calling. But what happens to those who have the same cravings but cannot cure it with the candy that they love?

Fear not, some of the biggest candy companies in the world have made it their mission to give the gluten-free peeps exactly what they need. From chocolate and decadent sweets to hard candy and sour treats, these companies are slinging gluten-free candy into the world and the chances are, you never even knew that some of your favorites were gluten-free.

So whether you’re avoiding gluten entirely or trying out something new in 2022, here are 5 candy companies producing gluten-free candy that you should know about…

HERSHEY’S

Since 1900, Hershey’s has been at the forefront of confectionary history. From making the first commercial chocolate bar put in war rations, to creating new chocolate treats nobody has heard of before if you want it, Hershey makes it.

That goes for gluten-free candy too!

Just one peek at the Gluten-Free section of their website, it’s clear that Hershey’s has their eyes on the gluten-free crowd. Whether it be some of their classic chocolate confections or peanut butter-stuffed treats, they’re bringing all the goodies for those who are going gluten-free.

Here are some of our favorites from the king of chocolates…

• Milk Chocolate Bar

• Hershey Kisses

• Almond Joy

• Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

• PayDay

Mars

Mars is another critical component to the history of candy distribution in the United States. Since the early 1900s, Mars has been delivering some of the most popular sweets the world has ever seen. Think of names like M&M, Snickers, and Skittles and you know exactly who Mars is.

With all this time in the candy game, Mars knows that gluten-free folk are a top priority so they took it upon themselves to make sure everyone knows that some of the most popular candy in the entire world is in fact, gluten-free. Whether you’re a chocolate lover or prefer some hard candy, Mars has you covered when it comes to your sugary cravings.

Below are some of the Mars treats we like to snack on the most…

• Regular and Peanut M&M

• Dove Bars (Regular and Dark Chocolate)

• Snickers

• Skittles

• Lifesavers

NESTLE

It’s no surprise that Nestle is on this list as they are the largest food manufacturing company in the entire world. Not only that, but they have an entire section of business dedicated to healthcare nutrition, so you can imagine that the gluten-free movement is most definitely on their radar.

From bottled water and breakfast cereals to coffee, tea, and confections—if it’s on a store shelf, there’s a strong chance it might be from the people at Nestle. They’ve been doing it for over 120 years and continue to make innovation after innovation when it comes to all foods, especially candy.

While the prior two brands carry some classics, this list of gluten-free candy from Nestle is a personal favorite…

• Baby Ruth

• Bit-O-Honey

• Goobers

• Sno-Caps

• Raisinets

• Nips

• Laffy Taffy

FERRARA

Starting in Chicago, the Ferrero Group was one of the first major hard candy companies in the Great Lakes region of the United States. With over a 100-year history, they’ve established a name for themselves in the candy game, but they made major moves in 2017 when they acquired Farley’s & Sather’s–the producers behind legendary treats like Brach’s, Chuckles, Now and Laters, and Jujyfruits.

Not to mention they joined forces with Nestle in 2018 to create one ultimate candy production company.

Today, Ferrara is continuing to pump out most of the childhood classics that we all love, while also making note of the ones that fall into the gluten-free category. If you find yourself between the crosshairs of a gluten-free lifestyle and an intense craving for hard candy, Ferrara has you covered with tons of different sweets.

Here are a few of our favorites…

• Fireballs

• Boston Baked Beans

• Jujyfruits

• Now and Later

• Red Hots

JUST BORN BRAND

Standing as the 10th largest candy company in the United States, Just Born Brands was founded by none other than Sam Born. Just to give you a little background, this guy was given a "key to the city" for San Francisco for his invention that mechanically inserted sticks into lollipops—talk about being crazy for candy.

Just Born Brands has been around just as long as every other confectionary company on this list but the one thing that makes them different from most is that they followed in their founder's footsteps, developing a way to mechanize the production of the classic candy, Peeps. You know, the little puffy birds we all like to eat on Easter?

While doing all of this, they’ve continued to push for new gluten-free products and more clear labeling so that everyone knows they’re bringing gluten-free to the shelves.

Nowadays, Just Born Brands continues to produce a few massively-famous sweets that all of us remember from one childhood experience or another. Take a look at a few below that we love…

• Hot Tamales

• Peanut Chews (Regular and Dark)

• Mike and Ike

WHO KNEW GOING GLUTEN-FREE WOULD BE SO EASY?

I’m not sure about you, but I was surprised to find out that many of the sweets I grew up eating are, in fact, gluten-free. Now I can confidently consume candy knowing that I’m also living that gluten-free life like some of my friends.

And if this candy conversation got your taste buds tingling for some more sweets, I’d encourage you to check out our entire gluten-free candy collection, grab a few of your personal favorites, and we’ll send them straight to your door!

CandyVille is the ultimate Wholesale candies store located in Toronto(Canada) that offers a wide variety of bulk candies. We as a Online candy store offers free shipping inside Canada on all orders over $350.00 with exception of Nunavut, Yukon and No