Are NERDS Gluten-Free? I Nima Tested It for Hidden Gluten

Are you curious if NERDS are gluten-free and safe to eat when you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance? In this article, I’ll discuss what NERDS says about gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, and reveal how the candy fared when independently tested for hidden gluten with my Nima Sensor. Please see my disclosures.

NERDS are tiny, sweet, and tart rock-shaped candies that come in various colors. They’re manufactured by the Ferrara Candy Company, which also makes Laffy Taffy, Brachs, Sweet Tarts, Now and Later, Red Hots, and more.

NERDS come in several varieties, including its original NERDS candy, NERDS Gummy Clusters, NERDS Ropes, and Big Chewy NERDS.

In this article, I’ll discuss which, if any, of these NERDS candy products are gluten-free and reveal how each performed when put to the hidden gluten test with my Nima Sensor.

Nima is a portable gluten-detecting device that enables you to test a small piece of your food for hidden gluten. Read What You Need to Know About Nima Sensor Before You Buy – Perspective from a Celiac & Nutrition Professional to learn more about the pros and cons of owning a Nima.

Are NERDS Gluten-Free?

When you look at a box of NERDS candy, you won’t see any “gluten-free” claims. So, to determine if NERDS is gluten-free, you’ll need to look closely at the ingredient list.

As you can see, NERDS candies are made from dextrose, sugar, malic acid, corn syrup, natural flavors, carnauba wax, and various artificial colors and dyes. It doesn’t appear to contain any obvious gluten ingredients, and no allergen disclaimers are on the packaging.

Ferrara Candy Company, the parent company of NERDS, says on its website, “For gluten-free, product-specific information, please contact Ferrara Consumer Relations. Due to changes that may occur in the manufacturing and packaging environments, Ferrara does not provide allergen or gluten-free lists on this site.”

Fair enough.

I contacted the company and asked if they could tell me if any of its products contained gluten.

I received an unclear, non-commital response from the company: “We appreciate you contacting us to determine if NERDS contains gluten or would be a concern for your diet. For more information, check the front of the package for a gluten-free claim or certification bug to help you understand if the product meets the gluten-free requirement.”

I replied, asking, “What is a certification bug?” and then probed further into why they couldn’t provide a straight answer. I doubt I’ll receive a response.

Regardless, I independently tested NERDS (original) candy for hidden gluten with my Nima Sensor by adding a few candies to a single-use test capsule and then placing the capsule inside the device.

In about 1-2 minutes, Nima smiled, revealing that it didn’t find any hidden gluten.

Are NERDS Gummy Clusters Gluten-Free?

NERDS Gummy Clusters are squishy gummy candies coated with crunchy NERDS original candies.

The NERDS Gummy Clusters contain ingredients similar to NERDS candy as well as gelatin.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation about NERDS and gelatin. One writer even says that Nerds aren’t gluten-free because they contain gelatin.

Gelatin is animal collagen and rarely contains gluten. It can be derived from porcine (pork) or bovine (beef) sources. And while gelatin is not vegan, it most likely is gluten-free.

NERDS Gummy Clusters also includes an ingredient disclosure that says, “This product was manufactured in a facility where milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy are used in the production of other products.”

This disclosure doesn’t scare me. Most certified gluten-free products are made in shared facilities and sometimes on shared equipment. It doesn’t mean this product contains gluten or has been exposed to cross-contamination.

I independently tested NERDS Gummy Clusters for hidden gluten with my Nima Sensor. Once again, Nima was all smiles (no gluten found).

Are NERDS Ropes Gluten-Free?

I couldn’t locate a NERDS Rope at my local grocery store or Walmart, but I did check the ingredient list online, and it’s near identical to NERDS Gummy Clusters and is also made with gelatin.

It does not, however, have the “made in a shared facility” disclosure statement on the back. Always check ingredient labels to ensure a specific product is safe. The latest and best information will always be on the packaging itself.

Are Big Chewy NERDS Gluten-Free?

I couldn’t locate Big Chewy NERDS at my local grocery store or Walmart, but I did review the ingredient list online.

It does not contain gelatin and appears to be made from non-gluten ingredients.

The Bottom Line on NERDS

NERDS candies do not appear to contain gluten ingredients, and my Nima Sensor did not find any gluten in NERDS original candies or the NERDS Gummy Clusters.

However, due to the extreme lack of transparency by NERDS’s parent company, Ferrara, and the fact none of its products are labeled “gluten-free,” I recommend consuming NERDS at your own risk.

Even better, I recommend finding a gluten-free labeled candy option with a safer and cleaner ingredient list. Plenty of companies care about the gluten-free community and don’t use artificial colors and dyes.

One such company is YumEarth. All YumEarth products are gluten-free and free from peanuts, tree nuts, soy, dairy, sesame, egg, fish, and shellfish. All YumEarth products are also free from artificial dyes and high fructose corn syrup.

Additional Reading

You might enjoy these articles:

• Gluten-Free Candy Guide & Halloween Candy Tested for Hidden Gluten
• Are Marshmallows Gluten Free and Testing Jet-Puffed Marshmallows for Hidden Gluten
• Are Candy Canes Gluten Free?
• Are Nature Valley Bars Gluten Free?
• Are Kind Bars Gluten-Free? Nima Tested!
• Is Cool Whip Gluten-Free? I Tested It For Hidden Gluten!

To learn more about the Nima Sensor, read What You Need to Know About Nima Sensor Before You Buy – Perspective from a Celiac & Nutrition Professional.

Looking to go gluten-free? Enroll in my SIGNATURE Gluten-Free Course!