Siblings Everett, left, 7, and Weston Cummins, 9, have food allergies. Their parents, Janna and Travis, have to be cautious when the family is trick-or-treating — carefully reading ingredient lists, not accepting candies with peanuts or sesame oil and being careful what the kids touch. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer The sugar-fueled ritual of Halloween trick-or-treating gives kids a chance to dress up in cool costumes, hang out with friends and, most importantly, gorge on their favorite candy.
Buy a teal pumpkin bucket ($3.99 at CVS) and display it prominently in front of your house to indicate that your home participates in the Teal Pumpkin Project and you have non-food treats to offer. Stock up on non-food gifts like trading cars, pencils, bouncy balls, glow sticks, stickers and temporary tattoos.
Store all non-food treats separately from candy. Use the teal pumpkin to store non-food treats only. Make ingredient lists available for all the food items you offer, whether store-bought or homemade.
If you offer treat-size bars in a bowl that don’t list ingredients on their wrappers, be sure to keep the bag the candies came in so parents and kids can refer to them if needed. Be aware that candy bearing marketing labels like “classroom-safe” and “allergy-friendly” don’t guarantee the product is free from all major food allergens. Have hand wipes available for anyone who needs them.
Hand sanitizer will not denature or remove food proteins from hands. “You need some.
