Gluten Free Chocolate in Australia: What Chocolate Is Gluten Free?

The surprising truth about gluten free chocolate, and what really happens in a chocolatier's kitchen.

By Jin Sun, Founder and Head Chocolatier, Kakawa Chocolates

Did you know that a chocolate bar labelled gluten free in London might not qualify for the same label in Sydney?

The chocolate has not changed. The rules have.

Chocolate begins with cacao beans, which are transformed into chocolate with ingredients such as sugar and cocoa butter, all naturally free from gluten.

So why does every chocolate not qualify as gluten free?

Why we started leaving gluten out

I am not coeliac, but I have experienced digestive discomfort after eating foods containing gluten. It made me wonder why avoiding gluten should mean having fewer delicious chocolates to choose from.

As chocolatiers, we have so many wonderful ingredients to explore: silky ganaches, bright fruit fillings, rich nut pralines and delicate caramels.

We wanted to create exciting chocolates without relying on gluten containing ingredients. Not chocolates that tasted like a compromise, but chocolates people would choose simply because they loved them. That is why we began leaving gluten containing ingredients out of many of our recipes.

But choosing ingredients is only part of the story.

When gluten free ingredients are not the whole story

Some couvertures are certified gluten free or vegan, but not every couverture has the same ingredients, certifications or allergen information.

At Kakawa, we select chocolates from different makers and sometimes blend them to achieve particular flavours and textures. Even when an individual couverture is certified gluten free, that certification does not automatically apply to a finished bonbon.

The same principle applies to milk and nuts. A raspberry bonbon may contain no nuts in its recipe, but it is made in the same kitchen where we prepare hazelnut pralines. A dark chocolate may contain no milk ingredients, but we also work with milk chocolate and cream based ganaches.

We carefully clean our equipment and work surfaces, but shared production means we cannot automatically rule out every possibility of cross contact.

What is not included in a recipe is not always the same as what can be guaranteed absent from the finished chocolate.

Can chocolate be gluten free in one country but not another?

In the UK and European Union, gluten free labelling generally allows up to 20 mg of gluten per kilogram of food (20 mg/kg). The United States uses a similar threshold of less than 20 mg/kg.

Australia takes a different approach. Under Australian food standards (NSW Food Authority), gluten free food must contain no detectable gluten, along with meeting other requirements.

So a chocolate containing a tiny, measurable amount of gluten could meet the UK standard but not Australia's.

And what about "may contain traces of gluten"?

This is a precautionary statement about possible cross contact, not a measurement of how much gluten is present.

That is why a gluten free claim on an ingredient does not automatically establish that the finished bonbon meets the same requirements.

What does gluten friendly really mean?

You may have seen the term gluten friendly on café menus or food packaging. It is often used informally to suggest that a food has been made without intentionally added gluten containing ingredients, although cross contact may still be possible.

But there is an important distinction: gluten friendly is not a recognised safety certification, and it is not a permitted alternative to a gluten free claim under Australian food standards.

At Kakawa, our goal is to offer more choices for people who prefer to minimise their gluten intake, while being transparent about our ingredients and shared production environment.

For someone with coeliac disease, even very small amounts of gluten can be harmful. A chocolate made without gluten containing ingredients should not automatically be assumed suitable for someone with coeliac disease.

More flavour, more choice

Minimising gluten does not have to mean missing out on your favourite chocolates.

At Kakawa, we do not intentionally add gluten containing ingredients to our chocolates, from our rich nut pralines and smooth ganache bonbons to our chocolate slabs.

Even our crunchy chocolates rely on gluten free rice bubbles for that satisfying crisp texture, and our mint crisp is made in house with fresh mint. These small choices let us explore different flavours and textures without relying on gluten containing ingredients. If you simply prefer to minimise your gluten intake, they are a thoughtful place to start.

Kakawa does not make gluten free claims, as our chocolates are made in a shared kitchen. We cannot guarantee that any finished product is gluten free or free from cross contact, and our chocolates are not suitable for anyone with coeliac disease or who needs to avoid gluten entirely. But our goal has always been simple: to create a wonderful variety of handmade chocolates that more people can enjoy.

Because great chocolate should be about what you can enjoy, not just what you have to avoid.