No Longer Gluten Free: OCHO Candy

Ocho candy is no longer certified gluten free, and no longer made on dedicated lines.

All of their candies (not just the one pictured) are now made on shared equipment that processes peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs & wheat.

Their FAQ also includes this statement:

Are your products Gluten Free?”

Even though we do not add gluten-containing ingredients currently to our products, we are going to be making some in the future, and we have chosen to no longer be gluten-free certified.

I don’t know when this change was made. There was no big announcement on their website that I can see. I only caught it because I picked up one of their candy bars, which has been safe for years. I just happened to flip it over in my hand before I opened it, and caught the word “wheat” out of the corner of my eye. This is a really good reminder on why you always check everything, no matter how many times you’ve bought it, before you eat/use it!

If you have any of the candy on hand, check the labels! Even the minis are labeled on each individual piece (at least the ones I have are), and toss any with this new warning! Even if they never add a gluten-containing candy, their lines are still cross contaminated.

This made me really sad, because their dark chocolate coconut bars reminded me of the Mounds bars I can no longer have (they contain MSG via the hydrolyzed milk protein ingredient). (Hershey says Mounds are gluten free, so if MSG doesn’t bother you, they’re a possible option. Always check the label, though! Especially if it’s a custom shape or holiday bag!)

Please check out my list of other products/places I don’t recommend here.