I Thought Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Was gluten-free

[Joni63]

Walmart sells Great Value mini peanut butter cups that are labeled gluten free.

[IvorBarry]

Hello, I also posted a question on here the other day because I ate a Reese's Peanut Butter "pumpkin" cup and had ill reactions, I called Hershey's and they counld not tell me that any of the peanut butter cups were gluten free. I also read that they may use wheat when rolling out the ingredients but I don't know for sure. I actually bought some hershey bars and a new jar of peanut butter and will make my own so no more ill feelings occur. Good luck! Pam

Just a heads up. I am VERY sensitive to gluten. I get sick to my stomach within minutes of eating anything that contains it, even though I am not considered to be a celiac by my doctor (I fail the blood test).

These "Reese's Peanut Butter "pumpkin" candy bars have been making me sick. I can't find any ingredients in it that might contain gluten (nothing stands out in the ingredients for me), but my body consistently tells me that it must. I came to this forum searching for this very product because EVERY TIME I eat it, I get sick.

Here's what the wrapper says: (If you see a RED FLAG here, please post!)

Peanuts

Sugar

Dextrose

Vegetable Oil (Cocoa Butter, Palm, Shea, Sunflower and/or Safflower Oil)

Chocolate

Nonfat milk

Contains 2% or less of:

Milk Fat

Lactose (milk)

Salt

whey (milk)

Partially hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel and Palm Oil)

Corn Syrup

Soy Lecithin

Cornstarch

Glycerin

TBHQ (Preservative)

PGPR, Emulsifier

Vanillin

Artificial flavor

If you have any clue as to what might be the offending ingredient (or any other comments) please contact me at I v o r B a r r y @ h o t m a i l DOT c o m. (Spaces added to deter spam).

Many thanks!

[GFqueen17]

Im guessing that it is definately the artificial flavoring that made you sick...artificial flavoring could be so many different things and what it is does not have to be specified. Thats my guess.

[larry mac]

******* said:

Im guessing that it is definately the artificial flavoring that made you sick...artificial flavoring could be so many different things and what it is does not have to be specified. Thats my guess.

Most artificial flavorings are made from oil distillates, and other chemicals. Thus, artificial. Wheat, barley and rye are not artificial. They are natural. So wouldn't it be more likely to get glutened from natural rather than artificial flavorings?

From Wikapedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavor 

"The compounds used to produce artificial flavors are almost identical to those that occur naturally, and a natural origin for a substance does not necessarily imply that it is safe to consume. In fact, artificial flavors are considered somewhat safer to consume than natural flavors due to the standards of purity and mixture consistency that are enforced either by the company or by law. Natural flavors in contrast may contain toxins from their sources while artificial flavors are typically more pure and are required to undergo more testing before being sold for consumption."

best regards, lm

[msmini14]

I made the choco cups listed above last Friday and they turned out soooo good! I used Earth Balance PB and the enjoy life choc chips, mmmm. They are very easy to make, only takes about 10 minutes for the first round of choco to freeze then about 1/2 for them to harden. I suggest taking them out to thaw once they have been frozen, texture is better =)

[tsryder]

I am new to the gluten free world. DH was diagnosed this year with symptoms existing for less than one year (extremely itchy patches on skin).

It seems my sensitivity has increased dramatically in the past few months and I have cut all gluten that I can see out of my diet.

I have existed on Reeses for 20 years, but now suspect these may have gluten despite what any posts have indicated.

At great sacrifice I will drop Reeses from my diet and report back in one month (early January, 2009)

BTW, this might not be the place to post this next bit, but it was highly frustrating. My dermatologist had put me on Dapsone to diagnose the disease. I suffered from chronic fatigue from Dapsone for weeks/months before finding sites such as these and www.csaceliacs.org that allowed me to self-diagnose that removing gluten was the answer. The dermatologist never once mentioned gluten as a cause, but within 1-2 weeks of giving up beer and at the same time completely stopping my Dapsone treatment, 90% of skin rashes had cleared. Before Dapsone I was regularly taking 4 mile jogs, but a few weeks after starting Dapsone (25mg up to 150mg) I could not jog for more than 2 minutes. 2 weeks after getting off Dapsone I went for a 4 mile jog with little difficulty, other than carrying an extra 10 pounds!

[tsryder]

Within 48 hours of removing regular Reeses Peanut Butter cups from my diet, most of the DH rashes on my hands have disappeared. These rashes had persisted for months and I had averaged eating two Reeses (4 cups) daily up until 12/08/2008.

I made no other changes to my diet other than removing Reeses.

Sorry to say, but my experience leads me to believe Reeses are not 100% gluten free.

[Amyleigh0007]

Beware of Reese's peanut butter Christmas bells. They contain wheat flour. I ate a handful at work on Friday (no package in sight but I assumed they were okay) and found out yesterday (after I looked at a package at the store) they contain gluten. I thought I was coming down with the flu but it turns out it was the gluten that made me feel bad. Lesson learned: This is the time of year that everyone has bowls of candy sitting out. Check the labels! Don't assume!

[GF4Good]

Hey there. I don't think Reeses are a problem. I eat them all of the time with no issues--only the regular sized ones, though. If you want more info, I found this cool product site with lots of gluten free product info.

[Takala]

On 1/7/2010 at 6:21 PM, GF4Good! said:

Hey there. I don't think Reeses are a problem. I eat them all of the time with no issues--only the regular sized ones, though. If you want more info, I found this cool product site with lots of gluten free product info.

______________________

Hey there yourself. This thread started years ago. Your link goes to another site where it says "status confirmed" but when I clicked on that link, it said "product not found." Hershey's moved much of its manufacturing to Mexico a few years back, and around that time they started to get coy about not being able to confirm the gluten free status of any of their chocolate products.... consumer beware. It's a real tragedy for many chocolate lovers not to be able to trust not getting sick off of a candy bar.

[Lisa]

Hersey is notorious for not disclosing their ingredients, due their policy of supporting their supplier's proprietary rights. They consider their suppliers more valuable than their customers. Nope, not my favorite company.

[minniejack]

Noticed that this year the Easter egg Reese's did not list any gluten. So, we bought a few, but now that I think about it,the peeps in this house that ate them have been complaining of stomach pains. Never associated with the pb cups. Will definitely not try again.

[Sheri1974]

I ate a snack sized Reese's McFlurry from McDonald's last night and within 20 minutes or less, I was in pain.....I'm still feeling the residual effects of it. The ice cream wasn't the culprit and neither was anything I ate yesterday, I'm extremely diligent about the gluten issue as I have only been gluten-free for a month. It had to be the Reese's, but I have seen several posts stating they are okay. HELP?

[kareng]

I ate a snack sized Reese's McFlurry from McDonald's last night and within 20 minutes or less, I was in pain.....I'm still feeling the residual effects of it. The ice cream wasn't the culprit and neither was anything I ate yesterday, I'm extremely diligent about the gluten issue as I have only been gluten-free for a month. It had to be the Reese's, but I have seen several posts stating they are okay. HELP?

Did you post this several places? I swear I just answered this. Anyway: they have oreos or cookie dough mix-ins. These could still be on the mixer arm or some part of machinery. It's also possible the Reeses were put in a container that yesterday had the oreos in it. Usually these types of desserts aren't safe becAuse of the risk of CC.

[jebby]

I got extremely sick after eating one regular Reese's cup during my 3rd month of being gluten-free (this was in April 2010). It was the only thing which I ate during the 12 hours before getting sick, so I am sure that it was not from anything else, and I had all of my usual symptoms afterwards (bloating, sharp abd pains, diarrhea, joint pains, mouth sores, etc). I called Hershey's twice afterwards and they were unable to confirm whether or not their peanut butter cups are still gluten free.

[pelsteen]

I got extremely sick after eating one regular Reese's cup during my 3rd month of being gluten-free (this was in April 2010). It was the only thing which I ate during the 12 hours before getting sick, so I am sure that it was not from anything else, and I had all of my usual symptoms afterwards (bloating, sharp abd pains, diarrhea, joint pains, mouth sores, etc). I called Hershey's twice afterwards and they were unable to confirm whether or not their peanut butter cups are still gluten free.

I got nasty cramping, but thank God for only a few hours of the night, after eating halloween's Reese's PB cups. I think that what happened is that I got a tiny bit of gluten somewhere and had cramping from the Lactose which is in them. If you are lactose intolerant and want to try again, take lactase enzyme, sold as dairy digestive aid in many stores, with your PB cups.

[MelindaLee]

When I spoke to Hersheys they stated the regular size are gluten free. (I have eaten my share to be sure that they are fine ) I know the other sizes they can't guarentee as they do not have a dedicated line and other things might be made on the line that aren't safe. The same with their milk chocolate bar...other sizes may not be okay due CC issues.

[tcbphd]

I so, so know you are correct! I got sick for hours and hours after just a piece of cup. I am fairly sure that this is a new development for the p.b. cups.

[tcbphd]

On 1/7/2010 at 6:21 PM, GF4Good! said:

Hey there. I don't think Reeses are a problem. I eat them all of the time with no issues--only the regular sized ones, though. If you want more info, I found this cool product site with lots of gluten free product info. 

I ate the regular ones and that is what made me ill. I'm not attempting the mini's now that I have tried 3 different times and been sick all three times.

[sa1937]

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are my "go to" indulgence. I have no problem with them. I buy the regular size but have never tried the mini's.

[Lisa]

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

* in 7 reviews

* Made by Hershey Foods Corporation show contact info

*

Ingredients

Milk Chocolate (Milk Chocolate contains Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Nonfat Milk, Milk Fat, Lactose, and Soya Lecithin and PGPR (as Emulsifiers)Peanuts, Sugar, Dextrose, Salt, and TBHQ and Citric Acid (to Preserve Freshness)

Ingredients for your review ^ A quick search indicated that TBHQ can cause allergic swelling.

Although, not a fan of Hershey, by any means, I see no gluten concerns.

[T.H.]

Although, not a fan of Hershey, by any means, I see no gluten concerns.

It's more the cc issue that can be a problem, from what I understand.

[Jonani]

I am just gluten intolerant, not celiac, but react to Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups which are not supposed to contain gluten. However, I believe I also react to the fat in the peanut butter because I can't even eat peanut butter on gluten-free bread without reacting to it.

[krHouston]

On 9/27/2007 at 11:06 AM, sansglutengrl said:

I'm sorry that you got sick Janeti, BUT:

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are ABSOLUTELY gluten free.

I literally eat these by the pound - and am very sensitive - I have never had a problem.

Some of the holiday Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - the ones that are shaped differently, have wheat in them - but Hershey's will never hide gluten, so you just have to be careful. 

I have also recently had reactions to the mini peanut butter cups. They must not be gluten-free.