Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1032386
Offering non-food treats as an alternative to candy can make the holiday more inclusive and safer for children with food allergies. 28 OCTOBER 2018 Inhalation BACK PAGE Non-food treats as an alternative to candy e Teal Pumpkin Project® encour- ages people to o er non-food treats such as small toys as an alternative to candy for trick-or-treating and at Halloween celebrations to make the holiday more inclusive and help ensure that children with food al- lergies enjoy a safer, happier holi- day. at option can also bene t children who have other health conditions that may prevent them from eating candy, such as food in- tolerances, eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), celiac disease, food-pro- tein-induced enterocolitis syn- drome (FPIES), use of feeding tubes or restricted diets. e Teal Pumpkin Project is not intended to replace the tradition of giving out candy on Halloween. People may choose to o er children both candy and non-food treats. Also, children who do not have food allergies may enjoy receiving small toys or other fun items they can keep. Outreach, partners and support Now in its fth year, the Teal Pumpkin Project is a liated with Food Allergy & Research Educa- tion (FARE), a leading organiza- tion in the United States that works on behalf of people with allergies. e project is also ex- tending beyond the US. It is part of Food Allergy Canada's website and a 2017 article in the Manches- ter Evening News reported that project activities began in Man- Halloween is celebrated around the world. Yet for millions of chil- dren who have food allergies and their families, participating in the holiday can be challenging. Even a tiny amount of candy that children may receive when trick-or-treating or at parties has the potential to cause severe, even life-threating, re- actions in some allergic children. Many Halloween candies contain nuts, milk, soy or wheat, which are some of the most common food allergens. In addition, some minia- ture or fun-size versions of candies may contain di erent ingredients than full-sized candy bars and may not have ingredient labels. So it can be di cult for parents to de- termine whether those candies are safe for children to eat. Children who have food allergies may still go trick-or-treating to have the fun of dressing in costumes and shar- ing the holiday with friends but cannot enjoy most of the candy they receive because it is not safe for them to eat. The Teal Pumpkin Project helps children with food allergies celebrate Halloween safely chester, United Kingdom in 2016 and were expected to continue. e project was inspired by an idea from the Food Allergy Com- munity of East Tennessee, led by support group leader Becky Basa- lone. She originated the idea to paint a pumpkin teal and place it on a porch to let children with food allergies know they would receive a safe treat at that home. Teal has been the designated color of food allergy awareness for ap- proximately 20 years. In 2017, as part of its community engagement initiative, FARE sent customized Teal Pumpkin Project kits to 225 elementary schools in underserved neighborhoods in the US, including some in Ann Arbor, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, San Diego and San Francisco. e kits were designed to inform and support students, parents and school personnel who may have had limited access to al- lergists and food allergy education. e project's o cial 2017 partners were Ahold USA (including its brands Stop & Shop, Giant Food and Giant/Martin's), CVS Phar- macy, DBV Technologies, Fun- World, Hy-Vee, Learning Express, Magic Power, Market Street, Mello Smello, Michaels, Savers (doing business as Savers, Value Village, Unique and Village des Valeurs) and SCS Direct. In addition, a va- riety of companies o er merchan- dise to raise awareness, such as teal pumpkins, garden ags and pump- continued on page 27