ManagingFood AllergiesAround Halloween
IntroductionManypeopledressupastheirfavorite charactersfrommoviesandcostumes duringtheholidayseasonandheadtothe storesforcandyandtreats.However,for thosewithfoodallergies,theseasoncanbe frightening.Sixofthemostcommonfood allergensareinhighcirculationon Halloween.Theseincludewheat,milk,egg, andsoy.Evensmallamountsofthesecan triggeranallergicreactioninkids. Parentsneedtotalktotheirkidsaboutfood allergiestocertainfoods,suchascandies andtreats.Theyshouldalsodiscuss strategiestopreventtheirkidsfrom experiencinganallergicreactionwhile they’reatpartiesortrick-or-treating.
Avoidingeatingsweetsmadeindifferentfacilitiesisalso essentialforkidswithfoodallergies.Thiscanbeespeciallytrue forsnacksizesandminiatures. TheFDArequiresallfoodlabelstolistthesourcesofmajor allergens,suchasmilk,wheat,eggs,andsoy.Theselabels shouldalsoincludethecommonnamesoftheseallergensin bold.InApril2021,alawwaspassedthataddedsesametothe listofmajorfoodallergensintheUS.Thisnewlawwillrequireall foodlabelstoincludethisingredientstartinginJanuary2023. Somepackagingalsohasanotethatsays“Maycontain,” followedbythenameoftheallergen.Thisisabetterwayto ensurethattheproductsarelabeledwiththecorrect information.Althoughthismethodisvoluntary,checkingthe ingredientslisteverytimeaproductispurchasedisessential. Sincemanybite sizedcandiesdon’thaveaningredientlist,it’s importanttocheckotherproducts’ingredientsonlinetoensure they’resafeforkids.
CheckLabels
Somepeoplemaywanttobuycandies withoutworryingaboutharmingkids havingfoodallergies.However,they maynotknowwhattolookforwhenit comestopurchasingthem.Youcan helpbyprovidingthemwithsafetreats ortellingthemwhattolookforwhenit comestobuyingsweets. Connectwith Neighbors
LEARN ABOUT TEAL PUMPKINS
TheFoodAllergyResearch& Educationorganization createdthetealpumpkin campaignin2014toraise awarenessaboutfood allergies.Itencourages peopletoplaceateal pumpkinoutsidetheirhomes toindicatethattheyhave non-foodtreatsthataresafe forkidswithfoodallergies.
ERS Ifyourchild’sclasshasaHalloweenparty, youcanalsoplayavitalroleinpreventinga dangerousallergicreaction.Beforetheevent, talktotheteachersandaskthemtohelp organizetheparty.Youcanalsovolunteerto bringanon-foodtreat. MAKE A PLAN FOR UNSAFE TREATS Beforetheevent,planwithyourchildabout whattodoaftertrick-or-treatingiftheyget unsafetreats.Forinstance,insteadofjust takingawayyourchild’sdangeroussweets, askthemtoexchangethemfortoysorbooks.
TeachKidsto AskFirst
Foryoungkidswithfoodallergies,it’scrucialto carrycandyforthemtoavoidaccidental contact.Theyshouldalsolearntoreadthe labelbeforeeatingsweetsorfood.Ifunsure, teachthemtothroworgivetheproductaway. Alistofsafetreatscanhelpeasekids’fearsof foodallergies.Educatingyourchildonsafety aroundtheirallergyiscrucial.
Make Your Traditions Youcanalsohostacostumeparty atyourhomeinsteadofgiving sweets.Forinstance,insteadof sharingsweets,youcanprovide trick-or-treatingkidswithnon-food treatssuchasglowsticksandfake mustaches.
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