Food is often the foundation of our holiday celebrations. Families feast together around the table to enjoy favorite recipes and indulge in seasonal sweets. One of the sweetest holidays for many children is Halloween – when costumes are adorned and neighborhood streets are filled with jack-o’-lanterns brimming with chocolates and candy.
While Halloween is a time of spooky fun for most children, it can be a time of isolation and sadness for a child with food allergies. And what is typically a carefree night of trick-or-treating can become a source of stress for parents of a child with food allergies.
What is a food allergy?
In the United States, it is estimated that nearly 6 million children are affected by a food allergy. This staggering statistic means one in 13 children, or approximately two children in every school classroom, have to avoid a particular food for their health and safety.
Eight foods are responsible for 90% of food allergies in the United States, which have been deemed “The Big 8.” These foods are peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy.
Allergic reactions can range from mild itching and GI distress to severe and life-threatening anaphylaxis. The most severe reactions are typically seen with allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. Some allergies can be outgrown as a child ages (most commonly milk, eggs, soy, and wheat), but all allergies can last a lifetime.
Keeping kids safe on Halloween
When navigating the complexities of a food allergy, families must be smart when reading labels and ingredient lists when shopping for allergy-friendly foods. Allergens can come in many different forms and under a variety of names. For example, someone with a milk allergy not only has to look for milk in a product, but also ingredients like casein, whey, and lactose. To ensure safety, food products and ingredient lists must also be checked every time before consumption because ingredients and manufacturing processes can change.
Most popular Halloween candies contain one of the 8 common allergens. What makes Halloween particularly challenging is that ingredients in full-size and miniature versions of the same candy can differ, and fun-size candies often don’t have food labels on their packages.
3 ways to make your Halloween allergy friendly
Pass out only non-food treats
Skipping out on candy and food-based treats not only makes it safe for all children, but is also a healthier choice that limits the excess calories and added sugars that fill trick-or-treater’s bags. Inexpensive non-food treats can be found in Halloween themes or colors to ensure your treats remain festive. Items you might consider include pencils, crayons, glow sticks, bubbles, erasers, whistles, kazoos, stickers,\ and stencils. These items can often be found online or at dollar stores and party supply stores.
Join the Teal Pumpkin Project
Teal, the designated color for food allergy awareness, has gained special recognition at Halloween in recent years. Launched as a national campaign in 2014, the Teal Pumpkin Project is sponsored by Food Allergy Research & Education to raise awareness of food allergies at Halloween. The project encourages families to provide non-food treats and designate their homes as safe, allergy-free zones. To participate, you can paint a pumpkin teal to display outside your home, purchase a pre-painted teal pumpkin, or download a sign that you can display from FARE’s website. Last year, families in more than 50 states and 14 countries participated in the campaign.
Offer a “you-pick” prize
If you don’t want to completely break the tradition of passing out chocolate and candy for Halloween, you can have the best of both worlds with a “you-pick” option for trick-or-treaters. Keep non-food and candy treats in separate bowls to avoid any cross contamination and give children the choice to select their own treat. It may surprise you how many children select a non-food prize to add to their Halloween bounty!
This article was contributed by Stephanie Chelton, RD, registered dietitian nutritionist with The Little Clinic (inside select Kroger locations). For more information about dietitian services, visit www.thelittleclinic.com/dietitians.