Lindt Lindor Truffle Gluten Labelling Test and Alternatives
- celiacbythebay
- Dec 1, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 15
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To illustrate and compare the safety levels of food labeling laws around the world, we are doing gluten label tests of Lindt's Lindor milk chocolate truffles' ingredients lists as we come across them in each country.
We chose this truffle in particular for three reasons: 1. it's widely available around the world, 2. it contains gluten (barley malt powder), which many of us don't assume to be in chocolate when first learning the ropes of the gluten-free diet, and 3. it demonstrates the level of gluten labeling you can expect in each country (outside of the more common labeling of wheat.
We hope this gives you clarity and confidence when grocery and snack shopping around the world. For more information on individual countries' levels of gluten labeling, visit the Food Safety Tips section of the blog.
Gluten-Free Lindt Lindor Truffle Alternatives
If this post has you craving a gluten-free chocolate truffle, we highly recommend the below gluten-free truffles reminiscent of Lindt's "gluten-full" milk chocolate truffle:
Venchi Chocomousse (Amazon; Venchi Online)
We discovered this 100% Gluten-Free Chocolate brand on a trip to Italy, and were beyond thrilled when they began shipping to and opening up storefronts in the U.S.. Super safe, and such high quality to boot — your waistline won't thank us, but your tummy sure will!
Beyond the truffles, their various flavors of chocolate bars are probably our favorites, such as their chocobiscuit, baciodidama, and gianduiotto (N3) bars.
Marks & Spencer Swiss Chocolatier Milk Chocolate Truffles
We're OBSESSED with these! Anytime we go to a country with an M&S Food (UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.), we always buy multiple boxes to bring home. In the U.S., Target has also been carrying some of this brand's other chocolates around the holidays in recent years.
Besides the delicious taste, we love that M&S products clearly label gluten and cross contact risk, so you don't have to be a detective to confirm which of their products are celiac-safe.
U.S.
As you can see, there is no bolding of barley malt powder, nor is it — or gluten more broadly — listed in the "contains" or "may contain" allergen sections. Therefore, don't expect gluten (outside of wheat) to be called out as an allergen, and be extra careful of hidden sources of gluten like natural flavoring, which the U.S. does not require companies to disclose the source of, even if it's been derived from barley or rye. And while Lindt has recently started bolding its allergens (as defined under U.S. law), bolding of allergens is not required in the U.S. and will not be present on most ingredient lists.
Canada
On the label above, you'll see "barley malt extract" listed in parentheses as a sub-ingredient of “sugars,” meaning this chocolate is not gluten-free. There is no separate “Contains” statement on this packaging, so barley and other allergens like milk are not called out separately from the full ingredients list. Notice also that there is no bolding of allergens and no use of the term “gluten” on the packaging.
Hong Kong
Similar to the U.S., there is no bolding of barley, nor is there a requirement to include it — or gluten more broadly — within the "contains" or "may contains" allergen sections in Hong Kong. On the flip side, they are required to detail what's included in "flavourings,"making it much easier to confirm safety of that common hidden source of gluten! However, we noticed this wasn't complied with 100%, so you still may find some flavorings are missing the extra detail. Beyond flavorings, don't expect gluten to be called out as an allergen, and don't expect any allergen bolding since it's not required in Hong Kong.
Italy
We love EU labeling generally, but things get a bit dicey on some labels. Starting with the good, you can see the clear, bolded allergen labeling of latte (milk), lattosio (lactose), burro (butter), soia (soy) and orzo (barley). Down in the “Può contenere" (may contain) section, you’ll see nocciole (hazelnuts) and frutta a guscio (other nuts), which is warning you of potential cross contact with these allergens — this is where you would find the warning for gluten cross contact (if there wasn’t a gluten containing ingredient but there was still cross contact risk for it). All fantastic, common sense labeling that puts our home country to shame, quite frankly.
BUT, it’s not perfect: despite containing barley in the ingredient list, you’ll see these truffles are still labeled “Senza glutine” (gluten free). That is because in the EU, they consider foods to be gluten-free as long as they test below 20 ppm, even if they do contain gluten ingredients like barley malt. In comparison, the U.S. doesn't allow any products with gluten-containing ingredients to be labeled gluten-free, even if the end result does test below 20 ppm, as no gluten-containing ingredient is considered safe for celiacs in the U.S. Given this, and considering that some forms of gluten are better at evading detection on gluten tests than others, we still steer clear of Lindt truffles in Italy despite the gluten-free labeling. We would also recommend doing the same for other products that fall under the same type of situation, such as merely gluten-reduced beers that are labeled gluten-free.
Singapore
As a country that imports a lot of products, Singapore's food labeling can vary, even on the exact same product. For example, on both labels above, you'll see "barley malt extract," but there are differences in how they approach its labeling. On the first, notice there is no bolding of allergens and no use of the term gluten on the packaging. Whereas on the second label, while still not bolded,"gluten" is put in parentheses next to the allergen to make it extra clear. Furthermore, neither of these examples show the common UK or Australian import labeling style, which would have bolded allergens.
Craving some chocolate? Click here for gluten-free truffle alternatives!
Last updated: March 2025. More to come!