The Teal Pumpkin Project™: A Halloween Treat for Kids with Food Allergies
| 2 min read
What’s the best part about Halloween? Candy!
While most kids look forward to strolling around their neighborhood in costumes filling up their plastic pumpkin with treats, those with food allergies have a very different experience. Allergens like peanuts, tree-nuts and milk are key ingredients in many popular candies, limiting what some kids are able to enjoy at the end of the night.
Food Allergy Research & Education, a nonprofit organization that works on behalf of Americans with food allergies, wants to make sure all children can have an enjoyable Halloween with their national Teal Pumpkin Project™ campaign. On Halloween, families are encouraged to hand out non-food items so everyone can enjoy the night. Some fun ideas include:
- Playing cards
- Markers, crayons and colored pencils
- Notepads
- Funny glasses
- Costume jewelry
- Temporary tattoos
- Stickers
The Teal Pumpkin Project™ helps children reduce the amount of sugary candy consumed on Halloween, but still get a fun treat.
In addition to passing out these items, families are encouraged to paint a pumpkin the color teal (representing the color of food allergy awareness) and place it in front of your home. This will let parents of trick-or-treaters know that you have alternative treats available for their little ghoul or goblin.
To learn more about this initiative, visit the Food Allergy Research & Education website.
For more tips on how have to have a safe, fun-filled Halloween with your child, check out these blogs:
Here’s to helping everyone have a happy and healthy Halloween!
This post has been updated from an earlier version.
Photo credit: Personal Creations
