How to Take the Fright Out of Food Allergies this Halloween

Kids are eager to hit the streets this Halloween after pandemic lockdowns, but with at least 1 in every 13 kids now suffering from food allergies—and more than half of the top treats containing food allergens—Halloween can be pretty scary. Here’s everything you need to know to have n allergen- safe Halloween for your own children as well as neighborhood trick-or-treaters.

What are the scariest ingredients?

The most common foods that trigger allergies in children include peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, soy and wheat. Allergy to sesame has been growing and legislation was recently signed into law that puts sesame on the list of ingredients required to be listed on food labels, though it doesn’t yet appear on all labeling.

All of the above allergens can be found in candy. For children who are severely allergic, a single bite of any food with these ingredients may cause a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis.

Tips for a fun, allergy-free Halloween:

• Guidance for food treats:
  • Most traditional favorite treats contain key allergens, including candy corn which typically includes sesame.
  • Always look at the labels and remember “fun size” candy may contain different ingredients than regular-sized packages.
  • Sour Patch Kids – free from top 8 allergens as well as sesame
  • Swedish Fish – free from top 8 allergens as well as sesame
  • Smarties – free from top 8 allergens as well as sesame
  • Dum Dums: free from top 8 allergens as well as sesame. Might have trace of soy, but it has been refined, bleached and deodorized.
  • Shopping resources: Free2b features all products free of top 12 allergens including sesame. Enjoy Life and YumEarth are also good for treats free from most allergens.
  • Don’t cross contaminate safe foods with foods that have ingredients that are unsafe.
• Provide non-food treats: Halloween stampers, slinkies, Halloween pencils, crayons, Lego® kits, bouncy balls and more.
• Participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project: Display a teal pumpkin jack-o-lantern to signal allergy-friendly treats. The project is sponsored by FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), a food allergy advocacy organization.
• Virtual parties
• Family night in: Decorations, costumes, movie night, scavenger hunt, pumpkin carving, crafts – let the children hand out allergy-free snacks.

If your allergy-prone child will be trick-or-treating, make a plan:

• Don’t let your food-allergic child trick-or-treat alone
• Teach your child how to politely say no to food that may not be safe, especially homemade items such as cookies and cupcakes
• Always make sure your food-allergic child carries their auto-injectable epinephrine with them
• Verify that adults or friends with your child understand his or her food allergies and what to do in an emergency
• Parents should check candy and sort into a “keep pile” and a “trade pile.” Suggest that your child can swap the “trade pile” candy for a special treat and include your child in making a donation of the candy.
• Switch Witch: Like the tooth fairy, the Switch Witch will exchange your treat bag overnight with a prize when your child awakes.

Treatment Option

• Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) – works for 85% of individuals who suffer with severe food allergies
• OIT is a medical treatment guided by a board-certified allergist that helps desensitize people to specific food allergies, especially peanuts and nuts, milk, eggs and sesame. The approach retrains the immune system to tolerate the specific allergens. The payoff is freedom of food fear and elimination of anxiety, enabling families with food allergies to reclaim their lifestyles.