Halloween and Food Allergy Safety

While Halloween can be a fun holiday for children who trick-or-treat, it can be a frightening experience for any of the three million kids who suffer from food allergy. Experts estimate that food allergy occurs in six percent to eight percent of children four years of age or under, and in four percent of adults. In recent years, it was reported that an estimated 29,000 people go to U.S. emergency rooms each year as a result of allergic reactions to food.

Amal Assa'ad, M.D., director of the food allergy clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, advises that parents and adults who pass out candy on Halloween become very cautious about the types of snacks they give. "Every year, I see a few children who suffer from allergic reactions around Halloween time," says Dr. Assa'ad.

He notes that it is extremely important that parents are extra-cautious about inspecting their children's candy on Halloween, especially if one of their children has allergy problems and other children do not. "Usually, parents are more careful about watching what their kids eat around Halloween time, but sometimes kids who have allergy will get into their siblings' candy that hasn't been sorted out yet," he says.

Some safety precautions:

• Don’t leave candy lying about where it’s easily accessible.
• Check each label carefully.
• Inspect the packaging to make sure it’s intact.
• Kids should politely refuse any homemade items.
• Have medication at the ready, in case a reaction does occur.
• Adults who are concerned about allergy can pass out alternatives to candy, such as stickers, temporary tattoos and the like.

The good news is that there are some suitable edible options for allergic or gluten-free kids. A couple treat ideas:

I was shopping over the weekend and found the Mini Glee Variety Pack of gum. I saw it and thought, Perfect! There are 21 little boxes in three different flavors. I got a bag, and am planning on passing out gum on Halloween, in addition to other candy.

Another might be Orgran’s Mini Outback Animals. Available in chocolate or vanilla, they come in multipack versions, with eight packs per package.

While they may be purchased online from various venues, but not likely in time for the holiday, they also can be found at different retailers. I purchased both at Fruitful Yield (Availability can differ between stores; confirm ahead of time that the location near you carries these particular products).

Check out these treats to see if they would meet your needs. I bet gf and allergic trick-or-treaters will be glad you did.