Are Snickers Gluten-free?

Are Snickers gluten-free? You’re in luck! They are. But keep reading because it’s not that simple.

This is valid at the time of writing on 1/10/2022 in the US and the UK. Snickers are sold in so many countries around the world that I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some countries where they do contain gluten.

I looked up Snickers in Canada, but can’t find any info. I’m assuming they’re the same bars that are sold in the US, but you need to check the label. I also can’t find anything definitive about Snickers in Australia.

But even if you’re in the US, you should check the wrapper every time you eat a Snickers or any processed food for that matter. Companies can change the recipe at any time, and while they sometimes make a note of it on the front of the packaging, they often don’t.

The issue

Snickers bars don’t contain any gluten ingredients, BUT… they’re not labeled as gluten-free. And a lot of people online write about reacting to them, even though they’re “just” intolerant and don’t have celiac disease. So I’d be cautious.

For products to legally be labeled gluten-free in the United States, they must first meet the requirements of the FDA of being less than 20ppm gluten. When products are tested to be less than 20ppm gluten, they may be labeled as such.

So why doesn’t Mars just test their products so they can be labeled gluten-free? It likely comes down to cross-contamination.

Although Snickers doesn’t contain any gluten ingredients, it’s likely manufactured and packed in a facility that produces gluten-containing products. Or it could even be processed using the same equipment as gluten products.

The problem is that that equipment may or may not be cleaned when they switch from product to product. This could lead to cross-contamination.

Some manufacturers are careful when switching from a gluten=containing product to a non-gluten product, but some, unfortunately, aren’t.

Food processing equipment is difficult to properly clean unless the manufacturer dismantles absolutely everything. I think we’d better assume that very few companies do that.

So if you’re highly sensitive to gluten, you’ll definitely want to check labels carefully before buying anything processed.

In the US and many other countries, common allergens must be labeled on product packaging. So if a gluten product is being used, it should say so right on the label.

The label might also say something like: “processed in a shared facility” – “may contain (traces of) gluten” – “made on shared equipment with gluten-containing foods.” But they’re not required to do so! It’s just a courtesy.

If you’re highly sensitive to gluten and worried about cross-contamination, it’s always best to find some candy that’s labeled gluten-free.

Gluten-free candy recipes

I tried to find a gluten-free Snickers knockoff to try and recommend, but I can’t find any.

Trader Joe’s used to have one called Boffo Bars, but they discontinued them. I’m not even sure if it was labeled as gluten-free because there’s so little info about it.

So here are some candy recipes to try instead!

By the way, I have 430 gluten-free recipes, with most of them being sweets.

I hope I’ve answered your question on whether Snickers are gluten-free or not! If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them below and I’ll be happy to answer. :)

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