Allergy Friendly Easter Jelly Beans – Gimbal’s :-)

As Merriam-Webster very succinctly puts it, a jelly bean is quite simply, ‘a sugar-glazed bean-shaped candy.’ Yet, food allergic kids and their caretakers have to be uber careful of this simple candy especially this weekend – what with the jelly bean being the candy of choice in many a traditional Easter egg-hunt. There are a couple of points, those with food allergies should be aware of before popping in a jelly bean:

1. They may not be manufactured in a dedicated facility so, there might be cross-contamination with many common allergens like wheat, nuts, soy and dairy. So, even if the ingredients do not contain any allergen, an allergic reaction is a possibility.
2. As http://www.thefreedictionary.com correctly points out, Jelly Beans is ‘a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts’. Yes, jelly beans could contain nuts!!!

So, I looked around to see if there are any safe jelly beans and one company I came across was the San Francisco based company Gimbal’s!

They are not only free of the top 8 food allergens, they also avoid high fructose corn syrup, trans fat, gluten and gelatin and use real fruit juice – go figure!!!

A recent press release by the company had this to say about the jelly beans made by Gimbal’s…

Gimbal’s Fine Candies Sweeten the Easter Holiday with New Additions to its Gourmet Jelly Beans

(San Francisco, Calif., February 16, 2012)— Gimbal’s Fine Candies has always been loved for its tantalizing Gourmet Jelly Beans, but now there are more reasons than ever before to enjoy them.

Gimbal’s has tweaked their recipe so that these delicious Gourmet Jelly Beans are now made with Real Fruit Juice.  Each serving of Gimbal’s Gourmet Jelly Beans includes 10% of the daily recommended requirement of Vitamin C and contains no high fructose corn syrup.

And, to the delight of Easter Baskets everywhere, Gimbal’s popular assortment now includes seven new favorite flavors including Mango, Pomegranate, Ice Cream Cake, Superfruit Fusion, Honey, Kiwi Strawberry Smoothie, and Sour Cherry.

Gimbal’s Fine Candies confectionary is one of the only major confectionary manufacturers in the USA that has committed to be free of the eight major food ingredients that are responsible for over 90% of food allergies. These food allergens include peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish. In order to eliminate risk of cross contamination, these eight foods are not included in Gimbal’s recipes, nor are they permitted inside their production and packaging facilities.

Additionally, the company is proud to manufacture all its confections right here in the United States, so people know when they purchase any candy, they are supporting American made products and jobs.

“Our Gourmet Jelly Beans are one of our best selling candies because of their excellent value and incredible taste,” said Karin Vollrath, sales and marketing director for Gimbal’s Fine Candies.  “They are absolutely delicious and a perfect treat for every Easter celebration.”

The gourmet Jelly Beans are just one of the delicious products from Gimbal’s Fine Candies and offer the same unbeaten quality and value their other candies bring to consumers. Gimbal’s also produces Cherry Lovers® Candies, Honey Lovers® Candies, Sour Lovers® Candies, All Natural Licorice Scotties® and chewy cinnamon LavaBalls®.

Gimbal’s Fine Candies are available at many major national retailers, including Walmart, Rite Aid, Big Lots, and now online at http://shop.gimbalscandy.com/

WHO: Gimbal’s Fine Candies

WHAT: Gourmet Jelly Beans New Flavor Additions and Online Store

INFO: Visit www.gimbalscandy.com or call 800-344-6225

About Gimbal’s Fine Candies:

Gimbal’s Fine Candies was founded by Alexander Gimbal in 1898 in bustling downtown San Francisco. The company survived the 1906 earthquake and resulting fires because of its protected location near the San Francisco Customs House. Four generations later, all of the staff at Gimbal’s remains just as passionate about confections as it was over 100 years ago. From old-time favorites to innovative new candies, everything Gimbal’s creates is made with pride in the USA.