It's that time of year again. Oh no! Which nut free valentine's candy–and more importantly, allergy-safe–to buy for your household, child's classroom, or the loved ones in your life. But not to worry. I put together this handy guide of nut free candy for Valentine's Day.
For the parents of children in nut free classrooms, thank you for checking out this article. If you’re looking to do something special for your child’s classroom on Valentine’s Day, but your child’s classroom is a nut free zone, I’ve created a shopping list for you to browse though that consists only of nut free friendly candies.
As always, please make sure to check every label in person before serving any food to a nut-allergic friend, or before bringing this food into a nut free area. I make a strong effort to only recommend products that are labeled as “nut free” or “made in dedicated nut free facilities,” but as manufacturing policies can change over time, you must always read labels in person to verify. With nut allergies having the potential to cause severe allergic reactions, it's a necessary precaution to verify food labels in person, every time.
All 10 of these candies are nut free and perfectly themed for any Valentine’s day parties or get-togethers. These selections are laid out into “Best of” categories based on nut free candy type.
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1. Best Nut Free Candy Conversation Hearts
Smarties Love Hearts (official product page) and Mini Boxes Smarties Love Hearts (Amazon).
Made in a dedicated nut free facility.
Last update on 2024-09-15 // Source: Amazon
The allergen policy for Smarties states that:
“All products are free of milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy.”
Among the food allergic community, the list of aforementioned food allergens are commonly referred to as the “Big 8.” Unfortunately, sesame is also becoming a rising concern as an offending food allergen, and it's now being considered the ninth most common allergen.
When you see a reference to “school-friendly snacks” in the grocery aisle, it refers to a snack that has been created with the elimination of these common food allergens in mind. Usually these products are made in dedicated production facilities where these common allergens aren’t permitted on the premises. These types of candies are typically a great choice for a classroom as they provide food allergic classmates of various food allergies with safety from cross contamination, or allergen exposure.
In reference to the nut free community, the Smarties allergen policy continues their commitment to cross-contamination prevention by saying:
“Smarties products are safe to eat for kids with peanut allergies. All of our candy is made in entirely peanut‑free manufacturing facilities.”
This makes Smarties candies a great choice for the nut free community. And because it’s packaging creates a barrier to the food itself, it’s able to be easily passed around the classroom without one hand exposing the entire product to whatever else that hand has touched, and this minimizes the chances of cross contamination exposure to children that are highly sensitive to their allergens.
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2. Best Nut Free Candy Chocolates
FAACT’s Teal Heart Bag by Amanda's Own Confections
Made in a dedicated nut free facility.
The entire brand of Amanda’s Own Confections is free from the top 14 food allergens. And these teal hearts are so cute! The same chocolate heart product comes in a pink foiled version, but I’m partial to teal as it’s foil color is intentional and comes from the brand colors of FAACT (Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team). A portion of the proceeds from the teal chocolates are donated to FAACT, which brings educational resources to newly diagnosed families. So purchasing these chocolates for the classroom is a win-win.
3. Best Gift for Your Special Nut Free Valentine
Amanda’s Own Confections Takeout Box
— or —
Amanda’s Own Confections Gold Valentine Box
— or —
Amanda’s Own Confections Chocolate Starburst Hearts
Made in a dedicated nut free facility.
Amanda’s Own Confections has a great variety of Valentine’s day treats to peruse through. I thought these three made a good starting point for your special valentine. They’d make great gifts for your own nut allergic child, or your child’s nut allergic best friend. The little extra decoration and marketing of these chocolats make them a little extra special.
4. Best Nut Free Candy Lollipops
Last update on 2024-09-15 // Source: Amazon
These lollipops aren’t seasonal and are actually available all year round! That being said, they work great for Valentine’s day because of the colors the Lollipops come in– with flavors like Pomegranate Pucker, Wet-Face Watermelon, Strawberry Smash, Googly Grape, Very Very Cherry, Perfectly Peach, Razzmatazz Berry, Mango Tango, the colorings of the lollipops contain hues like orange, pink, and red, and they’ll fit right in with the rest of the holiday decor in the classroom.
The best part of these lollipops is that the packaging has a “Nut Free” label printed directly on the bag. And it’s clear and easy to read. It’s a big perk. It makes it easier for the teacher to verify that the snack is safe. In fact, when bringing this nut free candy into the classroom, do feel free to leave the lollipops in the main bag with the clear “Nut Free” label so that the teacher can be the one to verify it’s appropriate for the nut free zone.
The allergen policy indicated in Yum Earth's FAQs section answers two very important questions for the nut allergic community. Here were those questions and the answers from the company:
Which of your products are manufactured in a facility that contains peanuts?
“All of our manufacturing facilities are peanut free.”
Which of your products contain tree nuts as an ingredient?
“None of our products contain tree nuts.”
5. Best Nut Free Candy Marshmallows
Last update on 2024-09-15 // Source: Amazon
This item is seasonal, so if you can’t find it online, check in stores around February. According to Allergen Inside, and Spokin, this item has been free from nuts and tree-nuts in the past. It comes in a few different varieties — like vanilla creme and strawberry creme. Please re-verify it’s allergen policy and ingredient list at your time of purchasing.
6. Best Bagged Fruit Snack
Surf Sweets Organic Valentines Treat Pack
Made in a dedicated nut free and peanut free facility.
These fruity hearts are free from the 10 most common allergens and come in their own individual packages. It has two flavors — watermelon and cherry. Did I mention they're organic? They're seasonal, so be on the lookout in January and February.
Surf Sweets specializes in making allergy friendly, nut free candy and in Surf Sweets allergen policy the company states:
“All Surf Sweets are made and packaged in a facility free of the 10 most common food allergens, including dairy/casein, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, sesame and sulfites.”
7. Best Nut Free Candy Heart Pops
Made in a dedicated nut free facility.
These are great because they’re gluten free and also free from the top common allergens. They’re easy to pass around and you can even write little messages on the individual lollipop wrappers, like you would on a paper valentine.
To read more about the Dum Dum Heart Pop’s allergen information, scroll down midway on it’s product page and click on the second tab titled “Nutritional Information.” This will bring up the product’s allergen information. From there you’ll see a statement from Spangler’s that reads:
“Allergen Statement: This product is free of top common allergens and manufactured on dedicated equipment.”
To read more on the specifics of Spangler’s policy, check out their allergen statement on facility practices.
Please note that the Spanglers brand does sell items containing nut ingredients. Their product line is not entirely nut free and they don’t cross-contaminate. The products they sell which contain nuts are manufactured in a separate facility.
8. Best Nut Free Chewy Candy
Valentine’s Sweet Hearts by Bo & Ty Sweets
Made in a dedicated nut free and peanut free facility.
All of Bo & Ty’s candy products are peanut and tree nut free. In fact, the name of the company, Bo & Ty, comes from the names of the founder’s children—Bo and Ty. Both kids are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts themselves, so the company knows the importance of cross contamination and stands by the promise of their nut free allergen policies. All products are made inside a dedicated peanut and tree nut facility. And no other companies share that facility. Details of their allergen policy can be read by visiting their FAQs page.
As far as the product itself, it’s a cute heart shaped chewable, nut free candy with flavors of watermelon and cherry. It comes in seven different purchasing sizes, so you can buy in bulk for the classroom or buy just a little for yourself.
9. Best Gumdrop Nut Free Candy
Made in a dedicated nut free and peanut free facility.
The Valentine’s Day Dots Candy product is seasonal, but regular Dots candies are made year round by the company Tootsie, as in the company known for their most popular candy, Tootsie Rolls. In their company’s FAQs section, Tootsie claims the following about their products production policies, stating that their manufacturing plants are peanut and tree nut free:
Do any of your products contain peanuts or nuts?
“All of our confections are completely peanut, tree nut, and nut product free. We have no peanut or tree nut products in any of our manufacturing plants.”
10. Best Nut Free Jelly Beans
Made in a dedicated nut free facility.
Last update on 2024-09-15 // Source: Amazon
Surf Sweets Jelly Beans are made by the treat company Wholesome. The Surf Sweets Jelly Beans are organic, gluten free, dairy free, and kosher. Some of Wholesome’s products are made in facilities that produce products containing nut ingredients. But, this particular product is a part of their product line that’s sensitive to the Top 10 Food Allergens. They're made in a facility free from the 10 most common food allergens, and specifically free from nuts as it’s indicated by Wholesome as being produced inside a nut free facility.
Please visit the company’s product page to learn more about Wholesome’s commitment to this particular product being a product that’s been made inside a nut free facility.
Summary for This Nut Free Valentine's Candy Guide
There are lots of different kinds of choices for classroom safe, nut free candy. Even during the holidays. It’s always best to bring packaged food with the labels clearly intact when bringing snacks into a nut free classroom. It’s great when you can buy food that has the nut free logo printed on it’s packaging, and it’s safest when you’re buying products that are made inside a dedicated nut free facility. Happy Valentine’s Day!
