Testing Cadbury Creme Eggs and Mini Eggs For Hidden Gluten

Are Cadbury Creme Eggs and Mini Eggs gluten-free? Hershey’s doesn’t label either product gluten-free, but neither appears to contain any gluten ingredients. I tested the mini eggs and creme eggs for hidden gluten with my Nima Sensor and share the results below. Please see my disclosures.

A reader asked me if I had ever tested Hershey’s Cadbury Mini Eggs for hidden gluten with my Nima Sensor. She enjoyed some over the weekend and wasn’t feeling good as a result. Could it be gluten?

I hadn’t tested them, but since Easter was just a few weeks away, and I know you love your seasonal candies, I decided to do a little research and independently test this beloved Easter treat.

Cadbury Mini Eggs are milk chocolate-shaped eggs covered with a crispy sugar shell. They’re made from milk chocolate, sugar, milk, cocoa butter, chocolate, sugar, cornstarch gum, acacia, artificial colors, corn syrup, vegetable oil, artificial flavor, invert sugar, baking soda, and salt.

While artificial flavors could contain gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, it’s unlikely. And if the ingredients were sourced from wheat, Hershey’s would have to disclose that information on the Allergen statement, which only lists milk and soy as allergens.

Hershey’s doesn’t flat out say that the Cadbury mini eggs are “gluten-free,” but it does say they’re made without gluten ingredients. What’s the distinction?

If a product is labeled gluten-free, it means Hershey would have tested it to ensure it meets the FDA’s gluten-free labeling guidelines. Without the label, Hershey’s can only say it has no gluten-containing ingredients, but it doesn’t know if it’s “gluten-free” since it doesn’t test the raw ingredients or final product.

Such unclear labeling is confusing to anyone with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and non-celiac gluten sensitivities, all of whom must eat only gluten-free food. You can learn more about the confusing gluten-free labeling laws in my article, What Gluten-Free Labeling Laws and Certifications Really Mean.

Why Use Nima? I Heard It’s Not Accurate

Unfortunately, Nima is a controversial device, although it shouldn’t be. Despite its limitations and surrounding concerns, it can still be a valuable tool for helping guide you on whether or not a food is safe for you to consume. I encourage you to read and understand why Nima is so controversial in my article, What You Need to Know About Nima Sensor Before You Buy – Perspective from a Celiac & Nutrition Professional.

I’ve used the device for years, and while it’s helped me and our community a lot, I’m not without my fair share of frustrations with the device. I’ve become more fed up with Nima over the years. Its leadership is lacking. The product is buggy. And the single-use test capsules are a substantial financial burden.

Still, Nima is better than nothing and much better than sending food to a lab, waiting weeks for results, and spending hundreds of dollars on a single test. While that’s fine for The Gluten Free Watchdog to do, it’s not realistic for real Americans who are struggling to make ends meet.

That’s why I post my Nima findings publicly. I want others to benefit from the expense and help them adhere to their gluten-free lifestyle.

Using Nima to Test Cadbury Mini Eggs

I crushed one of the Cadbury mini eggs and put a small portion of the sugary shell and milk chocolate inside a single-use Nima test capsule, then put the capsule inside the Nima device. In about two minutes, Nima revealed a smiley face, which meant it didn’t find any gluten.

While Nima isn’t perfect, it offers peace of mind that these Cadbury Mini Eggs are generally safe to consume when following a gluten-free diet. Nima helped me make that decision.

Now, if only Hershey’s would spend a few bucks to get these independently tested so they could label them “gluten-free,” we wouldn’t need to pay $7 on a Nima test capsule just to test a product that costs less than $2.

Are Cadbury Creme Eggs Gluten-Free?

UPDATE: I published this article a few weeks ago, but since then, I’ve been flooded with requests to test the Cadbury Creme Eggs as well.

Like the Mini Eggs, the Creme Eggs are not listed on Hershey’s gluten-free Easter candy list, so I cannot say for sure if they’re gluten-free.

As you can see from the ingredient list on the packaging, it doesn’t appear to contain any red-flag gluten ingredients. (Editor’s Note: Natural and artificial colors and flavors can go either way.)

I ran it through my Nima Sensor, and as you can see, Nima is all smiles. This means Nima didn’t find any gluten – whew!

If you’re looking for gluten-free Easter candies from Hershey’s, the company says are gluten-free, which means they’ve been tested to ensure they meet the FDA’s gluten-free labeling guidelines. They include:

• York Peppermint Patty Eggs
• Rolo Easter Creamy Caramels
• Almond Joy Snack Size Eggs
• Kisses, Easter Milk Chocolate
• Kisses, Egg Hunt Milk Chocolate
• Reese’s Easter Milk Chocolate Miniatures
• Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Candy (carrot-shaped wrapper)
• Reese’s Mallowtop Marshmallow Creme with Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Reese’s Milk Chocolate Minature Peanut Butter Cups

More Nima Tests

I’ve tested hundreds of products and restaurants for hidden gluten using Nima. The best way to view this content is by visiting my Nima Archives.

I also share Nima tests exclusively with my community—the best way to see these exclusive tests is by joining my newsletter.

As for other Easter candies, I’ve only tested Peeps, and here’s how they performed:

I’ve also tested many other candies, including fun-size Halloween candy. You can view that list in my Ultimate Gluten-Free Halloween Candy Guide (20+ Candies Tested for Hidden Gluten.

If there’s something you would like me to test with my Nima, leave a comment to share. You might see the results published here at Good For You Gluten Free!