• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Good For You Gluten Free

Living your best gluten-free life with celiac disease and gluten intolerance

  • View GoodForYouGlutenFree’s profile on Facebook
  • View g4uglutenfree’s profile on Twitter
  • View goodforyouglutenfree’s profile on Instagram
  • View goodforyouGF’s profile on Pinterest
  • View goodforyouglutenfree’s profile on YouTube
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About Good For You Gluten Free
    • FAQs
    • Events
    • Our Team
  • RECIPES
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Bread
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Pasta
  • ALL ARTICLES
    • Celiac Disease
    • Gluten-Free and Celiac News
    • Nima Tested
    • Eating Out
    • Health & Beauty
    • Products & Ingredients
  • COACHING
  • RESOURCES
    • Dear Gluten, It’s Not Me, It’s You
    • Ultimate Guide to Eating Out Gluten Free
    • Meal Plans
    • Giveaways
    • Safe Dining Card
    • Quick Start Guide
  • SHOP
  • CONTACT
    • SUBSCRIBE
  • COURSES
  • GLUTEN-FREE SUBSCRIPTION BOX
Home » Gluten-Free News & Information » Do Envelopes Contain Gluten?

Do Envelopes Contain Gluten?

Last Updated March 23, 2023. Published December 13, 2017 Good For You Gluten Free

Sharing is caring!

130 shares
  • Share
  • Email
Do Envelopes Contain Gluten?

There’s a lot of misinformation about whether or not envelopes contain gluten and are safe for someone on a gluten-free diet to lick. In this post, I’ll get to the bottom of this rumor once and for all. Please see my disclosures.

Gluten hides in a lot of sneaky places, ready to make someone with celiac disease or gluten intolerance sick.

Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and sometimes oats, and it hides in various foods, like soy sauce and licorice, as well as in toothpaste, make-up, lip balms, hand sanitizer, and sunscreen.

Knowing that gluten is found in so many products, you might be wondering if you might accidentally ingest gluten by licking an envelope or stamp.

I did a little digging and hope to squash this rumor once and for all.

What is an Envelope Made Of?

According to the Envelope Manufacturers Association (EMA), “Remoistenable adhesives are derived from corn starch and do not contain wheat or rye gluten.” This seems pretty clear cut to me.

Screenshot from the Envelop Manufacturers Association
Screenshot from the Envelope Manufacturers Association

If you’re still worried, don’t lick the envelope to seal it. Instead. use a damp sponge to moisten the envelope and then press the flap down to seal the glue to the other side. Or, simply buy self-adhesive envelopes.

As for postage stamps, 98 percent of stamps are made with self-adhesive glue, so there’s nothing to lick anyway. The remaining stamps do not contain gluten in the glue, according to the USPS.

Bottom Line: There’s no gluten in envelopes or stamps. I’d be more worried about the saliva in your mailbox than gluten. Make sure you’re aware of these hidden sources of gluten instead.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free News & Information, Products & Ingredients 4 Comments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Good For You Gluten Free says

    December 12, 2022 at 5:46 pm

    Do you have a source we can link to?

  2. Kerri L Ronne says

    December 12, 2022 at 4:49 pm

    A friend of mine with severe celiac disease just got very sick from licking an envelope. Even if the glue doesn’t contain it, apparently some manufactures use wheat flour to dry the glue, so envelopes (and stamps) may not be gluten free, especially since corn starch is often cross contaminated by being processed on machines, or in plants, that also process wheat flour.

  3. Good For You Gluten Free says

    February 24, 2022 at 7:46 am

    It’s very unlikely but if you’re worried just wet an envelope with a sponge.

  4. Cassie Soistman says

    February 24, 2022 at 7:09 am

    Hmmmm, but cornstarch can be cross contaminated? For example, I get sick from things made with non-GF cornstarch: powdered sugar and marshmallows. So why wouldn’t non-GF cornstarch used for envelope glue have a similar chance of cross contamination? Thank you for clarifying.

Leave a CommentCancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Good For You Gluten Free

Hi, I'm Jenny Levine Finke and am passionate about the gluten-free lifestyle. I'm a certified integrative nutrition coach and self-taught expert on [most] gluten-free things. I have celiac disease and know the struggles you're going through first-hand. This is why I've dedicated this blog to serving the celiac and gluten sensitive communities with important information, product and restaurant reviews, and simple recipes I hope you'll love. Read More…

Read My Book!

Dear Gluten Book Cover

Download My Safe Dining Card

Free download - gluten-free safe dining card
Logos of publications that Good For You Gluten Free has been featured in

My Trending Blog Posts

  • Simple Two-Ingredient Gluten-Free Pasta Dough
    Simple Two-Ingredient Gluten-Free Pasta Dough
  • 200+ Foods You Can Eat on the Gluten-Free Diet
    200+ Foods You Can Eat on the Gluten-Free Diet
  • The Ultimate List of 25 Gluten-Free Cereals [Tested for Hidden Gluten]
    The Ultimate List of 25 Gluten-Free Cereals [Tested for Hidden Gluten]
  • Easy Gluten-Free Bread Recipe Using 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour
    Easy Gluten-Free Bread Recipe Using 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour
  • Monk Fruit Chocolate Chip Cookies Made with Almond Flour (Keto and Low-Carb)
    Monk Fruit Chocolate Chip Cookies Made with Almond Flour (Keto and Low-Carb)
  • 11 Things I Did to Put My Celiac Disease Into Remission
    11 Things I Did to Put My Celiac Disease Into Remission
  • The Rise of Late-Onset Celiac Disease
    The Rise of Late-Onset Celiac Disease
  • 23 Classic Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour Recipes
    23 Classic Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour Recipes
  • Eating Gluten Free at Sonic Drive-In
    Eating Gluten Free at Sonic Drive-In
  • 21 Surprising and Unexpected Sources of Hidden Gluten
    21 Surprising and Unexpected Sources of Hidden Gluten

Graduate of the:

Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Badge

Before Footer

You may not reproduce or publish any content on Good For You Gluten Free without written consent.

Copyright © 2025 Good For You Gluten Free. All Rights Reserved.

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About Good For You Gluten Free
    • FAQs
    • Events
    • Our Team
  • RECIPES
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Bread
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Pasta
  • ALL ARTICLES
    • Celiac Disease
    • Gluten-Free and Celiac News
    • Nima Tested
    • Eating Out
    • Health & Beauty
    • Products & Ingredients
  • COACHING
  • RESOURCES
    • Dear Gluten, It’s Not Me, It’s You
    • Ultimate Guide to Eating Out Gluten Free
    • Meal Plans
    • Giveaways
    • Safe Dining Card
    • Quick Start Guide
  • SHOP
  • CONTACT
    • SUBSCRIBE
  • COURSES
  • GLUTEN-FREE SUBSCRIPTION BOX
  • Blog
  • Disclosures & Disclaimers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact Us