The Teal Pumpkin Project is an initiative across the world that raises awareness of food allergies and promotes safety during the Halloween season.
Halloween brings kids all around the world out in search of treats. However, experts say that one out every 13 children has some sort of food allergy in the United States alone. Barb Fuller, a human sciences specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, advises parents to take a couple of steps to keep their children from food allergies.
‘The Teal Pumpkin Project is an initiative to raise awareness of food allergies and promotes safety during the Halloween season. It encourages households to make non-food treats available for children who do have food allergies and need to avoid the candy.’
"Have a dinner or at least a hearty snack before you start out, then it's not so tempting to dig into that treat bag. Adults or whoever is going with the child can carry something safe, so if they start saying that they are hungry and want to look at something, you have something for them to have. Also, have some planned stops, like neighbors and friends that know your child has a food allergy, so they have something on-hand to give them," said Fuller.The Teal Pumpkin Project is an initiative across the world that raises awareness of food allergies and promotes safety during the Halloween season. The initiative aims to ensure every home has non-food treats available for kids with allergies.
"It's just encouraging households to make non-food treats available for all those trick-or-treaters, especially those who do have food allergies and need to avoid the candy. You can paint a teal pumpkin or you can go on their website and print out a paper teal pumpkin to hang in your window on your door, so they will know right off hand that this would be a place that's safe. There's lots of fun, non-food things that can be given," said Fuller.
The project also urges parents to carry necessarily drugs with them in case their child has a reaction.
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