The season

Holiday sweets and meals: a gluten-free checklist

25 October 2026

Seasonal food comes in new packaging, smaller sizes and traditional recipes. Coeliac societies publish advice for each holiday.

Halloween

Check each wrapper, not the brand. Beyond Celiac notes that a regular-size candy can be gluten-free while the miniature version is not.
Use a current list. The Celiac Disease Foundation updates its Halloween candy list every year.
Read the label in each country. Recipes can differ between countries, and so do labels. In the EU and UK, gluten cereals are emphasised in the ingredients. In Brazil, packs say "contém glúten" or "não contém glúten". In Australia and New Zealand, look for the bold "Contains" line.
Keep a swap bag of candy you know is gluten-free.

Choose the noodle. Coeliac New Zealand notes that egg and ramen noodles contain wheat, and rice noodles are an alternative.
Know the sauces and sides. Coeliac New Zealand lists hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce other than tamari, wonton wrappers and fortune cookies as items to avoid. Prawn crackers are likely to be gluten-free only if they come from a dedicated fryer.
Glutinous rice is gluten-free. Beyond Celiac explains that "glutinous" refers to the stickiness, not gluten. Fillings, sauces and coatings still need checking.

Swap the usual suspects. A Coeliac UK guest post suggests gravy thickened with cornflour, stuffing with gluten-free breadcrumbs, and gluten-free sausages.
Keep the prep separate. Coeliac UK advises cleaning surfaces with hot soapy water, frying in clean oil, and using separate spreads and a toaster bag.

Know the traditional recipes. Kerststol, speculaas and pepernoten in the Netherlands, mince pies in the UK, and panettone in Italy are usually made with wheat flour. Gluten-free versions exist. Choose ones that are sealed and labelled.

On the site:

Tokyo: I'm donut? Gluten-free is the gluten-free shop in Jingumae. See Tokyo restaurants.
Nice: Amour Pâtisserie is a vegan, gluten-free pastry shop. See Nice restaurants.
New York: Noglu is a dedicated gluten-free bakery. See New York restaurants.
London: Manna Dew is a gluten-free bakery. See London restaurants.