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October 2, 2015 by: Gina

Fill Your Teal Pumpkin: Allergen-Free Halloween Candy

Filed Under: featured, what to eat Tagged With: Halloween candy

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Halloween is here again, and for many of parents, it’s a scary time of year for kids on special diets and allergies. How do we keep our kids safe from the many foods they can’t eat at this time of year? For example, here is my daily list of foods my kids avoid:

  • glutens
  • dairy and caseins
  • dyes/preservatives
  • soy
  • corn
  • GMOs
  • MSG

Of course, one option is to keep them home, but that does nothing to teach them what they should or should not be eating on a day like or event like this? So how can a parent safeguard their child?

1002-allergen-free-halloween-candy

Tips to Fill Your Teal Pumpkin

The Teal Pumpkin is a relatively new idea. If you see a teal pumpkin while trick or treating, that means that some kind of allergy- or sugar-free food or a nonfood option is available there.

  • If you are painting a pumpkin teal, use safe paint. Start in your own neighborhood by just jumping in and offering to the local kids. I guarantee you’ll be a hit! But keep the paint safe too. 
  • Buy high-quality treats. Get the good stuff, toss the soy-filled, non-organic junk. In 2015, we have lots of options for our kids, which I’ll outline below.
  • Work with others. A friend throws an annual party and no matter how hard we try, Zoe gets the food. This year, I’m going to work with my friend and strategize how we can keep her away from the food, maybe bring her to a fun area or put down some toys she loves. In addition, I always attend the school holiday parties to keep her away from the wrong treats.
  • Go easy on myself. As long as dyes/preservatives, glutens and caseins don’t make an appearance, I can live with a smattering of corn, soy, MSG or GMOs. A SMATTERING ONLY! Truth is while I believe these are harmful, I haven’t seen an extreme behavioral difference on infractions. Well, either that or they are much MUCH harder to remove than I ever believed possible.

Recommended Allergen-Free Halloween Candy Treats Available in Stores

And now, what you’ve been waiting for – my list of approved candies for 2015  with all the details! These you can find in your local grocery market, Whole Foods or health food store:

  • Surf Sweets: Made with MSG-free natural colors & flavors, made with organic fruit juice & sweeteners, no corn syrup. They are made in a facility that is free of 10 most common allergens including peanuts. They are free of glutens, dairy/casein, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, sesame, and sulfites. Products are made in a mold of cornstarch and may have trace amounts of it, and some flavors are diluted with corn alcohol. Some vegan products. Feingold diet approved. FAQ page for more info.
    surf-sweets
  • Glee Gum: Gluten-free but not corn-free. Comes in natural flavors. Glee Gum does not contain any of the eight major food allergens: milk, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, or soybeans. However, soy is present in the facility where Glee Gum is made. Sugar-free Glee Gum contains xylitol. And new this year are Halloween Glee Gum pops! FAQ page for more info.
    gleegum
  • Annie’s Organic Fruit Snacks: They are gluten-free, vegan, and contains no artificial flavors, synthetic colors or preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup. USDA organic certified. Allergens listed on the product. Annie’s Homegrown always lists if a product is made on shared equipment with any of the top eight allergens directly underneath the ingredient statement. FAQ page for more allergen info.
    AnniesBunnyFruitSnacks
  • Yummy Earth Gummy Bears, Sour Jelly Beans, Fruit Snacks, and Lollipops: Gluten-free, dairy-free, tree nut & peanut free, soy-free. No artificial dyesNon-GMO sugar beet citric aced Facility does not process any of the eight major allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg, soy, fish, or shellfish/crustaceans). Stage 2 Feingold approved. Kosher. USDA certified organic. FAQ page for more allergen info.
    yumearth
  • Enjoy Life Chocolate Bars: Comes in Dark Chocolate, Ricemilk Crunch Ricemilk Chocolate. From the site: “all Enjoy Life Foods products are free-from the eight most common food allergens in the United States, as declared by the FDA — wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish, and shellfish. In addition, our products are made in our allergy-friendly facility, so there’s no chance of contamination. We also are free from Canada’s twelve priority food allergens, which include the top eight plus sulfites, crustaceans, sesame, and mustard.” Read their allergy page for more info. Get $0.55 off any Enjoy Life product.
    enjoylife
  • Bitsy’s Brainfood Spooky Snacks: NOT gluten or dairy-free, but they are nut-free and made in a nut-free facility. USDA Organic. Available at Wegman’s and Target.
    1024-bitsy

Online Allergen-Free Halloween Candy Options

If you haven’t seen what you want yet, here are some online shops that can help in your candy search:

  • Honey Straws: Gluten free, peanut free. No peanut products processes in the facility that makes them. 100% Grade A honey and natural extracts for flavors. Many are Kosher.
  • Natural Candy Store: Shop by organic, dye free, allergen free, etc. or use their “special diets advanced search” tab to drill down food restrictions.

Other Ideas to Help You Enjoy Halloween

  • Skipping trick or treating altogether; do something different, still fun like a progressive party with activities, games, haunted house, etc
  • Prepare a very special meal to celebrate the fun aspects of Halloween.
  • Here my recipe for Gluten, Dairy, Soy and Corn Free Halloween Graveyard Candy Cake. (Be careful, grown-ups loved this one too!)
  • Turn candy into science experiments. See Green Halloween for ideas! (This one’s my favorite!)

Related Posts

  • Bitsy’s Brain Food For Halloween
  • Enjoy A Fear-Free Halloween
  • Your Guide for Halloween with Special Needs & Autism
  • Gluten, Dairy, Soy and Corn Free Halloween Graveyard Candy Cake
  • Halloween Recap: A good year

 

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Filed Under: featured, what to eat Tagged With: Halloween candy

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Comments

  1. Sarah says

    September 30, 2013 at 10:31 am

    I can’t imagine how difficult, and scary, a holiday like Halloween must be for parents of children with food allergies. Great tips on how to let your kids enjoy the day safely without putting them at risk. Very interesting topic for the Green Halloween carnival!

    • Gina B says

      September 30, 2013 at 11:57 am

      Thanks Sarah! My kids don’t have life threatening allergies, but it does really tank their behaviors or sleep patterns and cause lots of disruption in their lives.

  2. Sarah says

    September 30, 2013 at 10:44 am

    I agree with Sarah…I can’t imagine how frightening and difficult Halloween must be for parents of children with food allergies

    • Gina B says

      September 30, 2013 at 11:58 am

      Yes, for lethal allergies – don’t know what I’d do. Probably just keep them home all year!

  3. Gina B says

    September 30, 2013 at 11:58 am

    Thanks, Xandra. Trick or treating is one of their favorite things to do, and my husband LOVES it too. So it’s a bit of a battle to take it away; alternative options though are great.

  4. carrie says

    September 30, 2013 at 12:20 pm

    Great post! I guess we are thinking alike today 🙂

    • Gina B says

      September 30, 2013 at 1:32 pm

      LOL, I guess we are! I will defer to you, Carrie, for the medically threatening allergies. I’m more about the brain safety 🙂

  5. Carrie says

    September 30, 2013 at 11:56 pm

    Fantastic ideas, Gina! What a great, comprehensive list of ideas and alternatives that so many parents can use. Thanks for the roundup!

    • Gina B says

      October 1, 2013 at 9:01 am

      Thanks, Carrie, it was fun to do!

  6. Becky says

    October 2, 2013 at 8:04 pm

    We have certain houses in the neighborhood that have volunteered to have nut free snacks available for our little one and we stick to those homes only. Thankfully, we also have really helpful teachers that are helping to keep favor bags to stickers and stuff from the Dollar Store.

  7. monica young says

    October 2, 2013 at 10:35 pm

    great information. I had never thought about all these things, but sure it is good to know how to deal with allergies not only during halloween but parties and events.

    • Gina B says

      October 3, 2013 at 8:18 am

      This does not deal with life threatening allergies – I don’t know a thing about that, I guess you’d add 911 information and having an epi pen handy too!

  8. Jeanae says

    October 3, 2013 at 12:54 am

    Great info!
    I have to be very creative with my highly allergic kiddo. I appreciate that many more companies and people are taking sensitivities and allergies into consideration.
    Gummy spiders? Oh man…I have to find those!
    Thanks for sharing

    • Gina B says

      October 3, 2013 at 8:17 am

      I’m happy more companies are on board too! But that’s because the special diets population is growing – over 100 million in the U.S.

  9. Gina B says

    October 4, 2013 at 10:05 am

    I agree, we need to find more ways to integrate them comfortably rather than exclude them from the stuff their peers enjoy. And I’m so happy I found Natural Candy Store this year! Hope your kids have a great holiday, Erin!

  10. Jessica @eatsleepbe says

    October 5, 2015 at 9:03 am

    I LOVE being a part of the Teal Pumpkin Project. These are fantastic companies that you have highlighted for allergen free treats for kids with food allergies. It can really make a child’s day to just find at least one safe treat in his or her basket.

    • Gina says

      October 5, 2015 at 9:16 am

      Thanks, Jessica! I haven’t yet got my husband on board for giving out safe candy, so there’s work to be done, but I’m excited 🙂

Welcome!

Gina Badalaty

I’ve been blogging since 2002 with about raising girls with with disabilities. I'm on a mission to help moms like me thrive and live toxin-free! Read more!

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