Wrigley's Gum- Gluten-Free?

[Em314]

Have looked into Wrigleys' and am feeling kind of confused about their gluten-free status. There's info, but nothing especially recent.

Their AUNZ site lists gluten-free products, but the US site kind of passes the buck:

Do Wrigley’s products contain gluten?

While some Wrigley products may contain gluten, the majority of our products are gluten-free. In general, we avoid using ingredients that contain gluten where they serve no functional purpose or can be replaced by gluten-free alternatives; however, ingredients and formulas may vary between regions. When the use of ingredients containing gluten is critical to the product taste experience, we follow all labeling requirements to allow our consumers to make an informed choice. We always advise consumers who are concerned about food sensitivities to read the label and check with their doctor if they have questions.

My big question is on the ingredient "HYDROGENATED STARCH HYDROLYSATE," which sometimes means gluten and sometimes does not.

I know folks have reported having "symptoms" after, but I also knw the articial sweeteners can cause similar symptoms.

[Em314]

I have emailed the company and will post when they get back to me.

Some additional info, which kind of conflicts:

On the side of "Wrigley's gum is generally safe:"

about.com's list of gluten-free candies: Open Original Shared Link

and list of gluten-free gums: Open Original Shared Link

A rather alarming seeming-contradiction, from their own web site:

From Open Original Shared Link which is the AU/NZ's site, and the page specifically for nutrition information in Juicy Fruit gum:

Gluten free : yes

MADE OF: SUGAR, GUM BASE, WHEAT GLUCOSE SYRUP, THICKNER (1404), EMULSIFIER (322, FROM SOY), FLAVOUR, HUMECTANT (422), SWEETNERS (955, 961), GLAZING AGENT (903), ANTIOXIDANT (321). CONTAINS INGREDIENTS FROM SOY.

...WHAT???

Perhaps it's just a typo? EXCEPT, from their aunz web site, their comment on what is gluten free Open Original Shared Link

We can confirm our sugar free products do not contain ingredients derived from wheat sources and therefore are gluten free. Our sugar free products are listed below:

- EXTRA® - Peppermint, Spearmint, Sweetmint, Strawberry

- EXTRA® Professional - Strongmint, Spearmint, White and Lemon Lime

- Extra® Active™- Berry, Peppermint, Spearmint, Watermelon

- ECLIPSE® Ice - Peppermint, Spearmint

- ECLIPSE® Mints - Peppermint, Spearmint, Cool Breeze, Intense, Berry

- 5® - Cobalt (peppermint), Electro (spearmint), Tempest (watermelon), Vortex (green apple) and Cirrus (blueberry)

- P.K® - Peppermint, Blue

- Juicyfruit®

- Hubba Bubba® - Grape, Strawberry, Cola

We trust this information is useful, but strongly recommend you consult your local medical practitioner to ensure our ingredients in no way conflict with your particular medical circumstances.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on 1300 721 831 (within Australia) or 0800 408 364 (within New Zealand).

Updated 18 September 2012

Is there something I'm missing, or is this actually alarming? Or are most brands this difficult to figure out?

[auzzi]

This is the most important part, with regards to international manufacturers:

"...ingredients and formulas may vary between regions..."

I doubt that chewing gum made in Australia would be exported ..

Modern technology currently can test gluten levels of more than 3 ppm (mg/kg). To qualify as "gluten-free" in Australia & New Zealand, the product in question must contain ‘no detectable gluten’ [be less than 3pmm], or be naturally-gluten free.

Some wheat products - glucose syrup, Caramel colour (150) and Dextrose - are so highly processed, that they are gluten free. They are tested.

By Australian & New Zealand Law, as they originate from wheat, this must be indicated on the label in bold, but as they are "gluten free", they are not listed as as allergen.

[Em314]

I understand that, auzzi. What alarmed me was that the Wrigley corporation seemed to be listing a product with a wheat ingredient (as a primary ingredient, no less!) as gluten-free, which made me feel a bit uneasy about the *company* overall. The ingredients are clearly either different in the US, or have different names.

I by the way *suspect* a lot of the info that I was finding about gluten in Wrigley's was based on the PDF of gluten-free aunz gum (a lot of it looked like copy/paste of that exact list), which is an additional worry.

Am curious exactly how much processing would be needed for the *third* ingredient being made form wheat would have to happen to actually render it gluten-free. Is this a common thing? Do you remember where you got that info (link, or source)? (I am OK with a lot of processing; I'm just wondering about this for future reference as it seems likely to come up again in some way shape or form.)

[Em314]

Response:

Dear Em314,

Thanks for asking about the gluten in Wrigley products. We understand it’s important to you to know the ingredients that are in the food you eat, and we’d be happy to share the information with you.

All U.S. Wrigley products are labeled within strict compliance of applicable laws and FDA regulations, including the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004. Any materials identified as allergens within this Act (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans) are labeled within the ingredient line.

The FDA has issued a proposed rule on gluten-free labeling, allowing food products containing less than 20 ppm of gluten (sourced from wheat, rye, barley, oats or cross-bred hybrids), to be considered gluten-free. [Federal Register: January 23, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 14)]

The hydrogenated starch hydrolysate in our gums is from potato.

All U.S. Wrigley chewing gum ( including the one's you mentioned) and confection products have been assessed to be gluten-free with the exception of the products listed below, which contain ingredient(s) derived from wheat or are made on shared equipment that also processes products with wheat and may contain trace amounts of gluten.

Accordingly, these products are labeled as containing wheat-derived ingredients:

• Altoids® Chocolate Dipped Mints (made on equipment that also processes wheat which is stated in the “Allergy Information” line)

• Altoids® Smalls® Peppermint Mints (contains wheat maltodextrin which is stated in the ingredient line)

• Hubba Bubba® Gummi Tape Candy (contains wheat flour and wheat fiber which is stated in the ingredient line)

• Lucas® and Skwinkles® Branded Candy Strips (contains wheat flour and wheat fiber which is stated in the ingredient line)

If your sensitivity extends to other types of gluten or if you are extremely sensitive to gluten sourced from wheat, rye, barley, oats or cross-bred hybrids, then you may want to consult with your physician prior to consuming our products.

We hope this information has been helpful. If you have any additional questions or comments please feel free to contact us at 1-800-WRIGLEY Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST.

Have a sweet day,

Sincerely,

Sandy Barnes

Consumer Care Representative

8000342630

[jjCO5280]

2/12/15 - Here is the response I received from Wrigley's when asking about LifeSavers mints:

 

Yes, all Life Savers are gluten free.

 

All U.S. Wrigley products are labeled in accordance with applicable laws and FDA regulations, including the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004.  Any food materials identified as allergens within this Act (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans) are labeled within the ingredient statement, when present in our products.

 

The FDA allows voluntary labeling of “gluten-free” for foods that inherently do not contain gluten or contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten sourced from wheat, rye, barley, and crossbreeds of these grains.

Our products listed below have been tested to comply with the FDA’s definition of gluten-free and are labeled as “gluten-free” on the package:
• Skittles® Bite Size Candies
• Starburst® Fruit Chews
• Starburst® GummiBursts® Original and Sour Flavors

 

Our products listed below contain ingredient(s) derived from wheat or are made on shared equipment that also processes products with wheat and thus may contain gluten.  These products are labeled accordingly as containing wheat within the ingredient statement:
• Altoids® Smalls® Peppermint Mints (contains wheat maltodextrin which is listed in the ingredient statement)
• Lucas® and Skwinkles® Branded Candy Strips (contains wheat flour and wheat fiber which are listed in the ingredient statements)

 

The rest of our products have not been tested to be labeled as “gluten-free”.  If your sensitivity extends to other types of gluten or if you are extremely sensitive to gluten sourced from wheat, rye, barley or crossbreeds of these grains, then you may want to consult with your physician prior to consuming our products.