Let's Talk Food Allergies and Halloween {Teal Pumpkin Project}

Every year, I feel like I get on here and talk Halloween Candy.  It's good stuff.  It's fun.  Going door to door is a blast for the kids.  We love it because it's the one of the few times we see many of our neighbors.  However, for many kids out there Halloween is just something that isn't all that fun.  There are kids out there with food allergies that will actually make a lot of kids sick. My son, included.  Guess what. . . not every allergy is a peanut allergy.  I am so thankful for the Teal Pumpkin Project for providing a safe way to provide kids with ways that will just bring a smile to their faces! 
So, I thought that this year, I would answer some common questions and show you what kinds of things I have found this year for teal pumpkins.  

First of all, what is the Teal Pumpkin Project?  The Teal Pumpkin Project was started by the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) as a way to make Halloween fun for those kids that can't eat any of the good stuff.   They encourage people to put out a teal pumpkin to alert trick-or-treaters that their house is allergy friendly.   This doesn't necessarily mean that everything they hand out is allergy friendly, but they have special things for those kids who can't have candy.   I love this concept because it provides a way to show ALL kids some love.  And those kids who can't eat the candy usually have to throw it away and it really inst all that fun for them.  You can read more about The project and see how I made a simple dollar pumpkin basket into a teal pumpkin on this post.

You can even print out a sign on my blog here that tells people your house is allergy friendly. 

What kids of things are kids allergic too these days?
There are 9ish common allergens like nuts, milk,  wheat and eggs.  But there are others that also include soy, shellfish, fish, tree nuts, and sesame. 

Unfortunately, most of the mainstream candy companies out there include one or more of those ingredients in their production.  Pretty sad, huh? 

I don't know anyone who has any allergies.  
You may not know anyone, but they are out there.  According to FARE's website there are almost 6 million children out there that have some sort of food allergy.  That is about 2 kids in every classroom that have an food allergy of some kind.  That's a lot of kids. . . that number doesn't even include adults (like me) who have food allergies.  In our extended family alone, we have milk, soy, and tree nut allergies and some specific food allergies that have emerged.  

Can I just buy a pack of dark Chocolate Kit Kats or 3 Musketeers? 
Nope.  Believe it or not, our favorite brands of chocolates are so sneaky.  When they say dark chocolate, they are really saying "darker than the milk chocolate" because its really a combination of milk and dark chocolate.  Also, all of those candies have soy in them.  Why?  Who knows. 

What kinds of things that are not candy can I find for my Teal Pumpkin?

The best way to make sure you have allergy friendly treats is to buy non food items.  Target has been absolutely wonderful in recent years providing amazing and inexpensive treats for kids in their Halloween Shop and Dollar Spot.  I usually stock up after Halloween for the next year when everything is really cheap.  You could spend a couple of dollars on some bubble wants or spider rings and make the day of some sweet kid you don't know! 

This year, we have tattoo and sticker boxes, bubbles, slime, spider rings, pencils and note pads, erasers, glasses, plastic bats, and vampire teeth. 

Are there any candy companies that make allergy friendly candy?
First of all, A few years ago, Target had this chart hanging out in the Halloween Candy section that was super helpful of what NOT to buy.

So, I went to a few stores (Target, Sprouts, and Whole Foods) to see what they were offering in this department. 

Target and Sprouts had Spooky Shape Surf Sweets by Wholesome.  I think they are just fruit snacks.   They are free of the top 10 allergens.  I bought a small pack to put in their Halloween lunches. 

Target and Sprouts also sell Yum Earth brand lolly pops and Gummy Fruits.  We really like this brand a lot.  Sprouts also has the Yum Earth Candy Corn pouches which I bought and totally made my son's day! 

Whole Foods had a nice end cap full of fun things.  But most of them are not allergy friendly (sad face).  Just because it's at a "healthy" type store doesn't mean it's free of soy and stuff.  They did have the Smash Mallow Halloween Pack which I snatched right up because they are just so good!  And free of most allergens. 

Other brands that or great are Annies Bunny Fruit Snacks (Target).

 And that's my Teal Pumpkin Project questions.  I know it's probably a small percentage of kids who will come to your door that have food allergies, but the look of pure joy when they get something that won't make them sick, is something super precious.  I know, because the look on my child's face last year when our neighbors had their own teal pumpkin and Weston got something.  It was pure joy!  Message me if you have any other questions, too!