Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips

[WinterSong]

Hey guys, 

I emailed Ghirardelli to ask about their updated allergen information because I had heard that people stopped recommending most of their products. I was specifically asking about their chocolate chips because my understanding is that they are free of gluten and not made on the same lines as that one bar/square that contains barley. This is what I received back:

"Thank you for contacting Ghirardelli Chocolate Company.  We appreciate your interest in finding out about the ingredients in our products and your interest in a gluten free product.

At this time we do not offer any "gluten free" products, but appreciate your interest in seeing whether Ghirardelli offers one.  Our products are not certified as being gluten free. FDA requires products to be tested to confirm that gluten level is below 20ppm. Currently, Ghirardelli products have not been tested to this requirement and therefore, we do not make any gluten free claims for our products.

Please reference the ingredient information, on our packaging for any Ghirardelli product that you are interested in, to determine if it is suitable for you.

Please know you are a valued consumer and we do appreciate your interest in our products.

Sincerely,

Consumer Affairs Response Team"

 

I asked them to please clarify - are your products testing over 20ppm? Or you don't test them at all? I also asked about the lines that the chocolate chips are made on because the ingredients do not indicated any problems. The customer service rep sent me the exact same message back with one of the lines underlined. I emailed again, and they don't seem to want to disclose any more information.

 

Has anyone else had any luck talking with them lately? Insights on the chocolate chips?

[RMJ]

They seem to be good about saying things may contain wheat when their products are made on shared equipment, for example their ground chocolate which I no longer use.  

This is the reply I got a year ago (March 2015) when asking about their 60% cacao chips.

"Dear Consumer,

There is no wheat in our 60% chips and no wheat in our chips facility, as such, no wheat is run on the same line as any of our chips.

Sincerely,

Consumer Affairs Response Team"

 

[WinterSong]

Well, that is just wheat. Their bars/squares might be wheat free, as well, but the culprit there is barley. 

 

Also I just got this reply:

For legal reasons the information that has been provided is the only information we are authorized to provide you with. 

To reiterate, our products are not certified as being gluten free. FDA requires products to be tested to confirm that gluten level is below 20ppm. Currently, Ghirardelli products have not been tested to this requirement and therefore, we do not make any gluten free claims for our products.

Sincerely, 

Ghirardelli Consumer Services

[Gemini]

I have been eating the Ghirardelli squares and using their chocolate chips for YEARS and have never had any problems.  I think the white chocolate chips are not gluten-free  and I do not use those but all the rest are safe.  I am extremely sensitive and if there were any gluten in them, from any of the 3 grains, I would not be this well. I recently had my antibody levels checked and they were perfect so that wouldn't happen if they contained gluten.  Read the labels.  Just because they do not test does not mean the product contains gluten.  I would recommend these to any diagnosed Celiac.

[Feelgr8]

Good to know they didn't make you sick. How much and how often did you eat it?

[Gemini]

10 hours ago, Feelgr8 said:

Good to know they didn't make you sick. How much and how often did you eat it?

I have been using the chocolate chips and eating the squares since I was diagnosed with Celiac 11 years ago.  The squares I have regularly because it is one of my safe, go-to treats.  I mean, way more regularly than most people.....I am one of those skinny Celiac's.  I have to not buy them and take a break because they are so good, if there is a bag in the house, they will not last long.    I usually eat no more than 2 squares per day, when I am well stocked. Not for gluten worries but too much sugar is bad for the teeth.

The disclaimer the company gave in no way means their product is not safe.  It means they do not test and they really don't have to.  They make chocolate products and very little of what they sell are products we cannot eat. They are straightforward, at least in the past, about safe manufacturing practices so you can make the ultimate decision. If they tested for gluten content, it would very likely be well within limits of safeness but the products would cost a lot more than they already do. This is not the same thing as buying a product which is untested but comes from a factory where there is a lot of wheat flying around!

[RMJ]

I eat their chips but not their cocoa.  I used to, but then the cocoa label changed to say that it may contain wheat (or is made in a facility with wheat, I forget which).  When I asked them about it they said they had changed where the cocoa was manufactured.  But since the chips don't say that I feel safe with them.  Always good to read the label every time.

[Jane Murphy]

I emailed Ghirardelli today. they will not state that ANY of their products or processing lines are gluten free.  Ive been sick and tested positive recently..the only items that are different in my diet are Ghirardelly peppermint bark bar, and Sprouts brand raspberry frozen fruit bar.

the fruit bar has very few ingredients nothing that would suggest gluten.

[Beverage]

I recommend never eating anything processed unless it is marked Gluten Free at a minimum, and Certified Gluten Free is much much better. 

I haven't had problems since I was more strict in what I buy, my last blood test was almost 0 in gluten antibodies. 

I was surprised to figure out that I was having problems with pickles and relishes,  No obvious gluten ingredients, but I should have  known better, that they were not marked gluten free.  I found out that the vinegar can be derived from GLUTEN grains!!!  OH GEEZ!!!  I have found that I can easily make these myself with apple cider vinegar and found a few brands that I can buy from Amazon.  Anything can be bought on the internet.