Allergen information
All of our playdough is made using ingredients which do not contain gluten or other known allergens and we are happy to provide a list of these ingredients below:
Gluten-Free Rice flour, cornflour, salt, cream of tartar, oil, food colouring, food flavouring.
As we do not manufacture each individual ingredient ourselves, we use precautionary allergen labeling to explain that the playdough "may contain" allergens due to the manufacturing or handling process of the ingredients before they reach us. We feel this is the safest way to inform our customers of the bits we cannot control and we offer full transparency with this.
Are we allowed to use precautionary allergen labeling when selling gluten free playdough?
Our playdough is a sensory toy and not food and so legally, we are not bound by food safety laws but instead we do follow toy safety laws. All of our playdough has been independently lab tested against toy safety standards EN71-1,2,3. You can read more about this process and what this means in this blog post on CE/UKCA testing playdough.
We have taken extensive feedback and advice from both Trading Standards and Toy Safety Laboratories before trading, and again recently (2022) to make sure that we are acting within the law by providing a playdough which may be described as gluten free whilst also being transparent about any warnings needed for customers to make an informed choice. We have been assured that as our playdough is not food for consumption, we are within the law with our labeling and are not attempting to mislead anyone with the information we give - we have clear descriptions that our product is playdough and not food.
We do however, appreciate that not everyone has an understanding of the difference between laws surrounding food and laws surrounding toys and may confuse the two (again, please don't confuse our playdough for food!) we will therefore be attempting to use descriptions such as "does not contain gluten" or "made with gluten-free flour" alongside our 'may contain' warnings and reference to this allergy disclosure page in order to make sure that customers are fully informed. You may still see reference to 'gluten free playdough' online within hashtags or descriptions for search options - our market research has shown that those who are looking for playdough which is made without gluten are most likely to search for 'gluten free playdough' and we want to remain visible and available for those who are looking for a more inclusive product.
How is our playdough made with allergens in mind?
We make all of our playdough by hand at home, using tools and utensils which are only used for this purpose. Work surfaces and utensils are cleaned thoroughly before, during and after use and stored separately. All ingredients are kept in special containers in a separate room away from other household ingredients.
Do we charge more for playdough made without gluten?
No. All of our dough is made without gluten. Our prices are the same as, and often lower than, other playdough sellers who make standard sensory dough. It does cost us more to buy the ingredients to make the dough and it takes a lot longer to make it all by hand rather than large mixing machines (cooking has to be very precise!) which lowers our profit margins, but our intention has always been to try and produce something affordable which can be enjoyed by as many children as possible. Our standard tins of dough are a huge 300g and currently retail at £5 before any discounts.
Can people who do not have any allergy use our playdough?
Yes! Our playdough is suitable for everyone who is able to handle the ingredients listed above.