Los Gatos: Halloween for kids with food allergies

Halloween can be a very frustrating holiday for children dealing with food allergies.

That may sound dramatic, but for children who have life-threatening food allergies, trick-or-treating can be really risky.

Giving people who are giving out the candy something to give your kids is a nice, quick and easy way to make sure children with food allergies don’t feel left out.

But previous year, St. Martin found out about the Teal Pumpkin movement. Tyler also adds that the project is not only about awareness and safety. Now though, there’s a movement called the “Teal Pumpkin Project” that’s aimed at creating Halloween fun for everyone by making non-food items available for trick-or-treaters.

Dale Knutsen, with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, said the treats don’t have to be boring and they don’t have to be expensive. Dr. Maxzie Sikora with the Alabama Allergy & Asthma Center says one out of every thirteen children deals with the issue.

“I’m hoping to see a lot of teal pumpkins this year”, said Logan Fregoe.

Non-food items that can be given to trick-or-treaters include glow sticks, stickers, bubbles, mini Slinkies and spider rings.

“My parents got excited and went to Party City to stock up on their teal pumpkins”, said Ross.

“They have made a conscious effort to have allergy-friendly treats, or non-candy treats”, Beatrice Povolo from Food Allergy Canada told Global News.

An estimated 15 million Americans have food allergies of a few kind, according to FARE. Although he loves Halloween, it’s tough for him. “I believe it’s important for kids with food allergies, like my daughter, to be able to participate in activities like Halloween without the fear of getting sick or ending up in the hospital”.

You may notice a number of houses with blue pumpkins outside their doors when you’re out trick-or-treating this Halloween.