Don’t let your diet frighten you into missing out on the tastes of delicious candies this Halloween — there are various candies suitable for various diets. The most important piece of advice, above name-brand recognition, is to check ingredients. For specific diets such as kosher and halal, it is important to look for symbols that indicate products fall under specific diets. Notably, kosher items tend to carry various symbols, the most common being “OU,” or a “U” inside a circle. Halal items carry symbols as well, notably the IFANCA Halal symbol (also known as the Crescent-M).
Although most candies seem safe and harmless to those with dietary restrictions, what do they contain that may make certain candies not allergy friendly? A good portion of candies contain one of the following: gelatin (which comes from boiling the skins of pigs and cows), carmine (which comes from female cochineal insects), beeswax, honey, or milk. Gelatin is neither kosher nor halal, and may not be consumed in any form by those who follow halal and kosher diets.
If you’re vegan, some of the most common candies include Dum Dums, Airheads bars, Dots, Sour Patch Kids, and Swedish Fish. Finding vegan chocolate is trickier — even candies predominantly containing cocoa can contain traces of milk from factories.
For kosher diets, finding candy is easier, given gelatin is kosher. Many common candies are kosher, including M&M’s, Hershey bars, Twizzlers, Kit-Kats, Almond Joy, and Ferrero Rocher. Finding candies for halal diets works similarly — halal candies avoid gelatin and other non-haram ingredients such as shellac (which comes from female lac bugs). Some of the most common halal candies include Skittles, Twizzlers, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, Airheads bars, Dum Dums, and Jolly Ranchers.
If you’re allergic to gluten, you’re in luck: many popular candies (including some with chocolate) are gluten-free, such as Skittles, Butterfinger, Reese’s (specifically peanut butter cups), M&M’s, Milk Duds, 3 Musketeers, and York Peppermint Patties are gluten-free.
For dairy-free diets, finding candy is trickier, but most gummies are dairy free. For chocolate candies, the most prominent brand is Enjoy Life, which makes many chocolate products, including mini chocolate bars and chocolate chips. Enjoy Life also makes chocolate alternatives that don’t contain soy or gluten, as well as specific nut-free options. Since a dairy-free diet can come with restrictions on soy or gluten, Enjoy Life is a great alternative to satisfy all of these requirements.
Even though the term “keto candies” may sound counterintuitive, such candies exist. Kiss My Keto and SmartSweets are two brands that offer sweet treats for those focused on carbohydrates and calorie restriction.
For candies specifically safe for individuals with one or more of the most popular allergies (peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, fish, and shellfish), some of the recommended candies include Lifesavers (including Lifesaver gummies), Mike and Ike’s, Skittles, Starbursts, Smarties, Dots, Swedish Fish, Laffy Taffy, Ring Pops, and Jelly Belly jelly beans. Many of the candies on this list have been mentioned previously, so if you have allergies and are trying to make a list of candies that won’t give your body a chilling fright, these candies should suffice.
