The effort gives kids who can’t have candy, because of food allergies or food restrictions, alternatives when trick-or-treating. It is rather important to know, whether one has food allergy or not, and what type of food may trigger it. Researchers have hard at work to find out the core reasons behind such a disease and to develop a cure.
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So what can you do this Halloween to make sure kids with food allergies don’t miss out on all the fun?
Dr. Tracy Fausnight, a pediatric allergist and immunologist at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, said the most common food allergies for young children are milk, egg and peanut. They can’t wait to romp around the neighborhood with their candy stashes.
Unfortunately, even candy that doesn’t expressly contain an allergen could still create an allergic reaction if it’s processed in a facility that also processes the allergen, especially nuts. But for children with food allergies and a few other conditions, this holiday can represent hidden dangers – ingredients and additives that can have disastrous health effects. Parents of younger kids may allow their child to have the experience of dressing up to go door-to-door, but then they trade the collection for treats their child can eat. Popular treats like Malt Balls and Candy Corn are unsafe for many little tricksters but there are plenty of allergy-safe sweets, like Skittles, to enjoy.
“She’s got an older brother and younger sister who get to keep all their Halloween candy”, Meyer said. The companies put it on mostly to protect themselves, but you just don’t know. Teal was a natural choice, as it has been the color for food allergy awareness for nearly two decades. Plain potato chips are also usually OK.
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The goal is to encourage 100,000 households and organizations to paint pumpkins teal and display the pumpkin in front of the home or business as a sign that non-food treats, such as glow sticks, bubble, stickers, etc., are available.
