Guittard Chocolate, Allergen-Friendly
I met the Guittard company in 2010, at the Natural products
Expo East. In business since the 1850s, Guittard creates chocolate confections for retail
consumers and commercial food manufacturers as well as chefs. Their chocolate
comes in blocks, bars, chips, powders and discs for easy melting. It is also
country specific, cocoa content specific and made by hand. All which
means that Guittard is serious about chocolate.
And all that seriousness usually that means nuts for many candy, confection and chocolate manufacturers. At the
very least, it doesn’t not mean nuts. Many chocolate companies of this caliber don’t or can’t guarantee that
they don’t have nuts in the facility everywhere. Or they don’t have a clear
policy in place. Or they may have a policy but they may not communicate that policy or stance on their company website.
Not so with Guittard. At the 2010 Natural Products Expo East, I talked with
a regional sales representative who said: “We are gluten-free and peanut-free and I will have to
check about tree-nuts.” (Their packaging now has “produced in a peanut-free
and gluten-free facility” right on the package, see above.) The sales rep
followed up a few weeks later, sending me samples to try and a document with the full food
allergen scoop. Here is Guittard's allergen statement (PDF) and here is their allergen information on their website’s
FAQ.
From the Guittard website:
Q: Are your chocolate products gluten-free?
A: Our products and our processing are gluten free.
A: Our products and our processing are gluten free.
Q: Are your chocolates made in a peanut-free
environment?
A: Yes, Guittard Chocolate Company is peanut-free.
A: Yes, Guittard Chocolate Company is peanut-free.
Q: Do your chocolate products contain nuts?
A: While our facility is peanut-free, almonds are used in some chocolate products made at Guittard. Click here to view our comprehensive statement about the use of almonds at Guittard.
A: While our facility is peanut-free, almonds are used in some chocolate products made at Guittard. Click here to view our comprehensive statement about the use of almonds at Guittard.
They are not dairy free or soy free.
The presence of almonds in their facility did not deter me from
trying with a safe friend with meds at the ready. I had no reactions and
have now tried several of their products since without issue. Including the chickpea chocolate cluster recipe by Chic Naturals that I reviewed so glowingly recently.
*"May contain" labeling is a very individual decision and one
you should discuss with your allergist for the best plan for you.*
The Guittard chocolate is
delish, they have a full range of options and they are in Whole Foods as well as other retails outlets and are available on Amazon.com as well.
Thank you Guittard for making a delicious line of chocolate confections.
Comments
How do you go about getting some? Do they have a website? If so, what is it? :-D
Guittard has almonds in their facility as the PDF of their allergen policies from 2006 states - see the link on the blog post.
That may not work for you and your family so please double check again with them directly about your needs.