KDHE Provides Tips for Families on Safe Halloween Treats

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Bureau of Consumer Health would like to remind parents to take precautions to protect their children who celebrate Halloween by trick-or-treating.

“Children shouldn’t snack while they are out trick-or-treating. They should wait until they get home and parents have had a chance to inspect the goodies,” said Angela Kohls, Director of the KDHE Food Safety Program. “To help prevent children from munching, give them a snack or light meal before they go -- don’t send them out on an empty stomach.”

KDHE also recommends the following tips for parents to ensure their little “goblins” have a safe and happy Halloween:

• Tell children not to accept, and, especially, not to eat, anything that isn’t commercially wrapped.

• Inspect commercially wrapped treats for signs of tampering, such as an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.

• Chocolate, when not kept in a cool dry place, may have a whitish cast, known as “bloom” on the surface. Although it may look unpleasant, bloomed chocolate is fine to eat.

• When children bring their treats home, discard any homemade candy or baked goods. Parents of young children should also remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies or small toys.

• If juice or cider is served to children at Halloween parties, make sure it is pasteurized or otherwise treated to destroy harmful bacteria. Juice or cider that has not been treated will say so on the label.

For more Food Safety information visit www.KSfoodsafety.org.

Back to KDHE News Release Index