Peanut Butter M&m's...sooo Sick!

[MitziG]

Everything I have read says they are gluten free. But this is twice in a row now that I have gotten sick within minutes of finishing a bag. Last time I thought it was a fluke. This time, my celiac son and I were munching them in the car, and by the time we got into the store, we both had to go running for the bathroom. I am kind of fortunate in that gluten usually gives me a very quick and noticeable reaction, so I can identify the culprit at least. Are M&M's likely to have been cross contaminated? This has NEVER happened witht he regular ones. Hours later and my stomach is still really hurting. I am never touching them again, that is for sure!

[psawyer]

I have never had a problem with M&Ms, but I don't have any specific experience with the peanut butter ones.

[giggleburger]

Is it possible you have some sort of issue with peanuts or whatever is mixed to make the peanut buttery part of the M&Ms?

[gluten free overseas]

Do dyes bother you? Even the gluten free dyes can bother some folks.

[ravenwoodglass]

They now make pretzel M&Ms. I wonder if CC is now an issue when it wasn't before?

[kareng]

I believe it was on here that I read this, but not sure. You could contact M&Ms and get it verified.

Special flavors like, the pretzel or raspberry or strawberry were produced on thier "extra" lines. So were holiday colors. The regular flavors stayed together on the main machines. I don't know if pretzel has become a standard flavor now or a temporary one.

Since you had a reaction, maybe you would like to email them & then post the response for all of us inquiring minds?

I never get to eat the PB ones at my house as they are the first in a mixed bag to be sucked down by the boys here.

[bumblebee-carnival]

I had the same problem with Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. No gluten listed in the ingredients, but I had a reaction shortly after eating one.

[MitziG]

No problems with dyes or peanuts ever- so I am going to email the company as suggested. I will let you know what I hear back!

[LabyrinthRunner13]

No problems with dyes or peanuts ever- so I am going to email the company as suggested. I will let you know what I hear back!

I'd be really interested to hear what they say... I got a bag out of the vending machine at work today and 30 minutes later I was running for the bathroom. It is now several hours later and I am developing a rash on my arms, and (for the first time) on my chest. I was given to believe that they were gluten free and safe...

[Duhlina]

I had a reaction to the mini Reese's peanut butter cups and vowed to never touch them again!

[beverlyann5]

I am new at this, but find myself always getting answers from this site and various members. I was looking up Peanut Butter M&M's and of course found comments here. I eas the Peanut M&M's all the time with no adverse affects. However, after reading the ingredients as we all do on the Peanut Butter ones, I ate 3. Three. That's all. Ten minutes later I was having a reaction and had to leave the work floor. So they are definitely off my list of edibles. By the way I have Celiac Disease and am now living a Gluten Freedom life! Wow! Beverly

Everything I have read says they are gluten free. But this is twice in a row now that I have gotten sick within minutes of finishing a bag. Last time I thought it was a fluke. This time, my celiac son and I were munching them in the car, and by the time we got into the store, we both had to go running for the bathroom. I am kind of fortunate in that gluten usually gives me a very quick and noticeable reaction, so I can identify the culprit at least. Are M&M's likely to have been cross contaminated? This has NEVER happened witht he regular ones. Hours later and my stomach is still really hurting. I am never touching them again, that is for sure!

[MitziG]

So I finally heard back from the company...sort of. makes me wonder if a real person even READS the emails? They are treating it like a complaint! Argh. I just want to know their processing procedure. Anyway...this is what they said:

In response to your email regarding M&M'S PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CANDIES.

Thank you for your email.

We're sorry to hear of your experience with M&M'S PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CANDIES. At Mars Chocolate North America we take all consumer feedback very seriously, and we would like the opportunity to provide you with the highest level of service.

In compliance with the requirements of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), we ask for limited personal information as a part of our initial online feedback process. COPPA restricts the amount of personal information that website operators can collect online. In order to respond to your email, we need to collect further information from you (i.e., address, upc and manufacturing code stamped on the wrapper). Please contact us on our toll-free number, 1-800-627-7852, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

When calling please refer to file reference # 011674967A. We look forward to assisting you further.

Sincerely,

Consumer Care

Like I KEPT the packaging? Really? They think I am a hoarder? (ok, so maybe I am a little, but only important stuff...) Anyway, I will call them tomorrow if I get a chance and post what I find out. If anything....

[MitziG]

I am new at this, but find myself always getting answers from this site and various members. I was looking up Peanut Butter M&M's and of course found comments here. I eas the Peanut M&M's all the time with no adverse affects. However, after reading the ingredients as we all do on the Peanut Butter ones, I ate 3. Three. That's all. Ten minutes later I was having a reaction and had to leave the work floor. So they are definitely off my list of edibles. By the way I have Celiac Disease and am now living a Gluten Freedom life! Wow! Beverly

BAM! As Emeril would say...if he had Celiac that is...lol

[psawyer]

Like I KEPT the packaging? Really? They think I am a hoarder? (ok, so maybe I am a little, but only important stuff...) Anyway, I will call them tomorrow if I get a chance and post what I find out. If anything....

This is normal. The people in the call centers who respond to such questions routinely ask for this sort of information. They do need it.

If you are in doubt about a product, ALWAYS keep the package so you can refer to it when the manufacturer's rep asks these questions. Ingredients and facilities change. Some companies have more than one plant. The production code, combined with the UPC, is the only way that they can know that the answers they give relate to the product you actually bought.

[srsly]

I had a reaction this week as well and the only thing I can think of that was out of the ordinary for my diet was peanut butter M&Ms.

Please do follow up if you found out anything else.

[jay22deb]

My wife, with Celiacs, just had a similar experience. Last night she became ill, and we narrowed down the possible causes to peanut butter M&Ms or salad dressing. Tonight she is again sick, and the only outlier she ate were peanut butter M&Ms. (She has never had problems with regular M&Ms.) She has no history of reacting to peanut butter and related products before. Could Mars be experience a cross-contamination problem??

[heatherjane]

Here's a recent M&Ms thread with some helpful info.

Also, make sure you are checking the label for "May contain wheat".

[Sdjoly]

I see no one has posted here in a while, but I have a severe gluten sensitivity, had a bag of these M&M's Peanut Butter today and got serious intestinal upset within 3 hours. Just letting everyone know there is still a problem with these. 4 hours later still not doing well....

[Cee-CeeC]

I see no one has posted here in a while, but I have a severe gluten sensitivity, had a bag of these M&M's Peanut Butter today and got serious intestinal upset within 3 hours. Just letting everyone know there is still a problem with these. 4 hours later still not doing well....

 

Same here, but happened with a couple hours today. Wish I would have found this thread earlier -- but lesson learned. Hate when it happens the hard way, though.

[GF Lover]

Mars M&Ms clearly marks packaging with allergy information and a "may contain" statement.

 

Peanut Butter M&Ms do not contain gluten.  If they continue to make you sick you should not eat them.

 

All the best.

 

Colleen 

[Natalie319]

I find this so interesting.

I'm gluten-intolerant. I'm not so sensitive that cross-contamination bothers me. For instance, I can eat fries if they're in the same oil as something else. It won't upset me. But if I eat something with actual gluten, it will.

I ate peanut butter m&ms and I got a bad migraine that night (one of the things that happens to me) and I've had a major stomachache for two days. I haven't had this kind of pain in probably a year. So I know that it can't just be a small cross-contamination issue making me this sick.

 

There must be something in peanut butter M&Ms that we are also sensitive too, or the company is just oblivious to their ingredients! It's odd that so many of us would get sick off of them.

[gilligan]

I hardly doubt that Mars is oblivious to their ingredients.  They have a reputation to protect.  Perhaps you are becoming more sensitive and something else you ate earlier upset you, or you have developed additional food sensitivities.  Always check label ingredients.  You're also posting on a thread that's two years old, so you would need to recheck Mars website for up to date info.

[Natalie319]

Well, I was mostly joking about the oblivious. My point being there's obviously something going on that we're not seeing.

 

I definitely have additional sensitivities. I've been going through some pretty extensive allergy testing for allergies/sensitives. That's how I know it's the M&Ms, because I've been on a super strict diet with only foods that have tested "safe," but I did, stupidly, cheat and have the M&Ms. There's nothing else I ate out of the ordinary. But I'm on day 5 of being sick from them, still. A slight amount of gluten has never, ever made me this sick. And I've definitely had accidental mishaps here and there.

And of course I checked the ingredients. I'm very regimented about that for years. I just posted here because I noticed it was clearly a problem for other celiac/gluten intolerants, and wanted to add my experience. It's a strange coincidence. 

[gilligan]

I was on a very strict diet for months, also.  And, when I could finally have a taste of chocolate it was bad news!  It was months before I was slowly able to eat it again.  Perhaps that is what is happening to you.  

[CK1901]

I've been fine with peanut butter m&ms, but I usually prefer to stick with Hershey's brand candy, Endangered Species Chocolate, or Justin's brand since they actually address the issue of gluten directly.

 

Reeses eggs and the mini reeses cups and any other speciality/holiday shapes are not safe. Only the regular reeses cups are gluten free.

 

http://www.thehersheycompany.com/our-ingredients/nutrition-information/special-dietary-needs/gluten-free-products.aspx