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Have you seen teal pumpkins popping up this Halloween season? It’s likely that one of these brightly colored gourds is part of The Teal Pumpkin Project, raising awareness of food allergies around Halloween. With 1 in 13 children having a food allergy, Halloween can be extra scary for children as well as parents of children with food allergies. People are encouraged to offer trick-or-treaters a non-food option and display their participation in the project by putting a teal pumpkin outside their door.

The campaign, which has been launched nationally by the Food Allergy Research and Education promotes safety, inclusion of individuals managing a food allergy and to keep Halloween fun for everyone! Non-food treats don’t have to be more expensive, are just as exciting for children and last longer than a piece of candy. Put the non-food items in a separate bowl from your candy offerings and give children a choice. Some great non-food options include:

• glow sticks
• pencils, crayons, markers
• stickers
• stencils
• mini notepad
• bouncy ball
• bubbles

For more information, visit the Teal Pumpkin Project page on FARE’s website. Help spread the word using the project’s hashtag #tealpumpkinproject. Here’s to fun and safe trick-or-treating!