A couple of weeks ago people started to notice that multipacks of Freddos were missing the may contain warning off the back. Now, yes, may contains aren't mandatory, however Cadbury have always been fantastic at listing may contains on their products so the sudden change came as a bit of an unexpected surprise.
There was a lot of speculation on Facebook about what was going on, with some people claiming the factories were changing, others stating printing error and even claims of recipe changes so I contacted Mondelez who own Cadbury and asked for myself what was going on with that may contain warning.
Following improvements within our factory, we have removed the potential for our Cadbury Dairy Milk Freddo bars to come into contact with Wheat. Subsequently, we have been working towards removing the Wheat declaration from our packaging.
At the moment, the inner wrappers of some multipack Freddo bars still include an outdated ‘May Contain Wheat’ statement. We are very sorry that this discrepancy on the inner wrappers of the multipack Freddo bars you purchased has caused some confusion and concern. We would like to reassure you that the information on the outer packaging is correct, and we have taken steps to ensure that the inner wrappers will be updated accordingly. ‘May contain’ declarations are not mandatory to be included on packaging, however, we can appreciate how concerning this was for you when you read the information printed on the inner wrapper and we would extend our sincere apologies to you. Additionally, there may also be a delay by some retailers updating their product information online and in-store. Please be aware our Cadbury Caramel Freddo continue to have a ‘May contain Wheat’ statement, since this variant is produced differently.
We are committed to providing clear and accurate labelling on all our products to allow our consumers to make informed decisions when selecting our products for consumption. Please be assured that no feedback goes unheard, and your comments have been duly noted on our records and will be conveyed to the relevant colleagues as part of our continuous improvement program.
Julie - Customer Care Team Mondelez
So, Cadbury Freddos are now NOT a may contain, some production changes have meant the contamination risk from wheat has been removed and Freddos are now safe for Coeliacs! So these join the likes of Cadbury's Twirl, Flake, Crunchie, Curly Wurly and a host of other chocolate bars that have been gluten free for as long as I remember. All Dairy Milk (except the chunks in Heroes) still remains a may contain gluten though so please beware of that one as it catches so may people out. You can check out this blog for more gluten free chocolate options.
I would still be careful of any wrappers, especially on individual packs, that do have a may contain still as they could be old stock in stores for a couple of months. I would just play on the side of caution, just in case. However, if it is a multiple WITHOUT the may contain on the OUTER packet then it would be safe to say these are new and safe stock. Reading Cadburys email it does seem all Freddos would be find now regardless of what the pack says but always worth exercising caution.
Overall, I think this is a great move and another chocolate treat we can enjoy, maybe Dairy Milk will follow suit...who knows!