Anyone know if chocolate chips are gluten free?

[LisaR]

Any idea if normal chocolate chips are gluten free? I see online that they sell ones that specifically say gluten free which makes me wonder about the ones I have. I have Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet chips. The person coming over has celiac.

 

[Country Flower]

They have it.

 

[mjkacmom]

They have it.

Really? I couldn't see any ingredients with gluten.

 

[Traveliz]

My husband uses chocolate chips generously and he is gluten free - he doesn't buy special ones either - I will have to have him check again but based on his experiences he is ok with them.

Ok checked with him and he says he feels comfortable that the products are gluten free but may be made in facilities where there is wheat/etc. He isn't planning on stopping the use of chocolate chips - he has been gluten free almost thirty years.

Liz

 

[LisaR]

Thanks everyone. I came across an old posting on a different message board and they are arguing about this. It seems some people trust Ghirardelli and others don't.

I am going to go ahead and make the cookies. I will set out an index card with the exact ingredients listed and she can make up her own mind whether to eat them. There will be other options that are safe to munch on but the cookies will be the only real junk. She may have to skip the junk and eat the healthier options.

 

[Imzadi]

Thanks everyone. I came across an old posting on a different message board and they are arguing about this. It seems some people trust Ghirardelli and others don't.

I am going to go ahead and make the cookies. I will set out an index card with the exact ingredients listed and she can make up her own mind whether to eat them. There will be other options that are safe to munch on but the cookies will be the only real junk. She may have to skip the junk and eat the healthier options.

Does it list somewhere on the bag any allergy warnings?

 

[pixiewings71]

My BFF has Celiac's and she eats regular chocolate chips. In fact she keeps some in her fridge/freezer for those late night quick snack attacks. She'll grab a palmful (don't want to say handful that's way too much lol) and pop them in her mouth to ease that craving.

 

[crashbb]

I've used regular chocolate chips in my GF baking (checking the package, of course, for any warnings first).

 

[LisaR]

Thanks everyone. She ate a few and seemed fine when she left so I am hopeful they were safe. She said she has eaten that brand before so I am guessing everything will be fine.

 

[canopynut66]

Any idea if normal chocolate chips are gluten free? I see online that they sell ones that specifically say gluten free which makes me wonder about the ones I have. I have Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet chips. The person coming over has celiac.

My daughter is Gluten free and "sometimes" some foods are next to or dusted with flour to prevent sticking together. she found this out by accident....but normally chocolate chips should not be close any type gluten.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Gluten comes from flours.

Since chocolate chips are not made of flour, there is NO Gluten in them.

The people debating this obviously do not have a clue what they are talking about!

 

[crashbb]

Gluten comes from flours.

Since chocolate chips are not made of flour, there is NO Gluten in them.

The people debating this obviously do not have a clue what they are talking about!

No, gluten comes from grains, not flours. Yes, flours contain gluten but so do many other things - barley for example, so anything malted contains gluten (like a mars bar). Many types of soy sauce also contain gluten (due to how they are processed). Cross contamination is also a concern, so things that *should* be gluten free sometimes aren't. As a PP mentioned, sometimes minute amounts of flour can be used to stop gluten free items from sticking to each other - causing things that are not made out flour to become unsafe for Celiacs (and others who must avoid gluten). Finally, things that aren't made of flour can still have flour in them - for example, many types of pre-made icing have flour.

The one who has no clue, I'm afraid, is you.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Gluten comes from flours.

Since chocolate chips are not made of flour, there is NO Gluten in them.

The people debating this obviously do not have a clue what they are talking about!

I fed a celiac child in my class peanut butter once. There was no flour or grain that I could identify on the label. The peanut butter contained molasses which apparently has gluten and he got quite sick. Other things that I later learned to avoid are natural flavorings and preservatives. both are often, but not always, bound together with gluten.

 

[ChristmasElf]

No, gluten comes from grains, not flours. Yes, flours contain gluten but so do many other things - barley for example, so anything malted contains gluten (like a mars bar). Many types of soy sauce also contain gluten (due to how they are processed). Cross contamination is also a concern, so things that *should* be gluten free sometimes aren't. As a PP mentioned, sometimes minute amounts of flour can be used to stop gluten free items from sticking to each other - causing things that are not made out flour to become unsafe for Celiacs (and others who must avoid gluten). Finally, things that aren't made of flour can still have flour in them - for example, many types of pre-made icing have flour.

The one who has no clue, I'm afraid, is you.

Oooo didn't realize YOU were such an authority. GRAIN is where flour comes from.

I stand by my post.

 

[goofyernmost]

Everyone knows that chocolate is the worlds perfect food. God designed it to not contain anything that would possibly be bad for anyone. No fats, no gluten, no calories...nothing but sweetness and flavor. I think it's someplace in the bible.

 

[crashbb]

Oooo didn't realize YOU were such an authority. GRAIN is where flour comes from.

I stand by my post.

I stand by my feeling that you don't know what you are talking about.

Here is what you said:

Since chocolate chips are not made of flour, there is NO Gluten in them.

Well, Mars Bars are not made of flour, nor is flour listed as an ingredient, yet there is gluten in them. So, you statement is blatantly wrong.
To add to the list: some molasses, as a PP said, some vinegars, some Worcestershire sauces. All thing that are not made of flour.

Hopefully, you are never in charge of feeding someone who cannot have gluten.

You become an expert when you are diagnosed with Celiac disease, out of self defense.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I was in a farmers market ( Henrys Northern Ca) and I just saw a bag of chocolate chips that are gluten free. Maybe you could link to their site and see if they carry some near you.

 

[Jennasis]

I stand by my feeling that you don't know what you are talking about.

Here is what you said:



Well, Mars Bars are not made of flour, nor is flour listed as an ingredient, yet there is gluten in them. So, you statement is blatantly wrong.
To add to the list: some molasses, as a PP said, some vinegars, some Worcestershire sauces. All thing that are not made of flour.

Hopefully, you are never in charge of feeding someone who cannot have gluten.

You become an expert when you are diagnosed with Celiac disease, out of self defense.

I don't have a horse in this race but is it possible the gluten in the Mars bar comes from somewhere other than the chocolate? Maybe it is added to bind the product together?

I only mention this because you and ChristmasEf are talking about different things. She/He is talking about chocolate chips and you seem to be hung up on MArs bars. Two different products.

 

[crashbb]

I don't have a horse in this race but is it possible the gluten in the Mars bar comes from somewhere other than the chocolate? Maybe it is added to bind the product together?

I only mention this because you and ChristmasEf are talking about different things. She/He is talking about chocolate chips and you seem to be hung up on MArs bars. Two different products.

True, I am not specifically talking about chocolate chips. If you read my first post (before ChristmasElf) I actually said that most chocolate chips are fine (but to read the packaging because some, like Ghirardelli, do warn about cross contamination).

The issue with ChristmasElf's post is that she made factually wrong statements that go beyond chocolate chips. You can substitute other things (like Mars bars) for "chocolate chips" and though the first part holds (they are not made of flour), the second part does not (they do have gluten).

Gluten comes from flours.

Since chocolate chips are not made of flour, there is NO Gluten in them.

The people debating this obviously do not have a clue what they are talking about!

Although ChristmasElf is correct about chocolate chips not having gluten (most of the time), her logic is not correct. Things not made of flour can have gluten in them. I didn't want incorrect information to be out there, since people do go beyond the actual topic of the first post on the DIS (shocking, but true).

In case you are interested, the problem with Mars bars (I thought I said this at one point) is the malt (same issue with Rice Krispies, by the way). Malt flavouring is made with barley and, though not made of flour, contains gluten. Looking at the ingredients, you would not see flour (or even wheat), but they do contain gluten and are not safe for those with Celiac disease.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Thank you Jennesis for your post. I appreciate it

The OP asked about chocolate chips. Not Mars bars, Malt, malt barley, or any other type of gluten. If I would have realized there would have been a debate on gluten, I would have also gone on and on about gluten free foods, celiac sprue, and soy disorders crashb, but.......

I didn't want to come across as a knowitall.