What is the Teal Pumpkin Project?
The Teal Pumpkin Project® promoted by Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) helps make Halloween safer, more inclusive, and more fun for children with food allergies, food intolerances, and other medical conditions that may make them unable to safely enjoy Halloween candy. Teal Pumpkin Project participants display a teal pumpkin on their porch or at a trunk-or-treat, to show that they offer fun non-food toys and trinkets as treats to trick-or-treaters.
How to participate
Step One: Offer NON-FOOD trinkets or toys to trick-or-treaters. Choose small, kid-friendly items like stickers, spider rings, spinning tops, bouncy balls, bubble bottles, or glow bracelets. Target stores offer non-food Halloween trinkets for the Teal Pumpkin Project both online and in their stores. You can also check out the list of non-food treat ideas in FARE’s Teal Pumpkin guide.
Step Two: Keep non-food treats and candy separate! You don’t have to skip giving out candy to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project. If you like, you can give out both non-food treats and candy. If you do choose to offer Halloween candy as well as non-food treats, just please make sure that the candy and non-food treats are kept separate, in different containers. Some children with food allergies react on skin contact to food residue, so it’s important to help keep them safe by keeping candy away from non-food items.
Step Three: Put out your Teal Pumpkin. Show trick-or-treaters with food allergies that you offer allergy-friendly, non-food treats by putting out a teal-colored pumpkin, and/or by hanging up a Teal Pumpkin Project sign. You can paint your own real pumpkin with teal paint, purchase a pre-painted teal craft pumpkin from participating stores like Target or Michaels, or get free printable Teal Pumpkin signs and coloring sheets from the FARE website.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
To correctly participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project, you MUST offer non-food treats! Because it is possible to be allergic to any food, “allergy-friendly” foods are really only friendly for SOME people with food allergies. For example, a child with a dairy allergy may not be able to enjoy nut-free chocolate candy that contains milk. A child with a strawberry allergy may not be able to enjoy a top 8 allergen free lollipop that contains strawberry flavor. The Teal Pumpkin Project is meant to be inclusive toward all children with food allergies, which is why it focuses on offering non-food treats. It’s a great idea to consider kids with food allergies when you are picking out your Halloween candy– there’s nothing wrong with offering nut-free or top-8-free candy choices. But if you want to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project, you must offer non-food trinkets or toys as well.
Check to make sure that toys and trinkets you offer do not contain hidden food ingredients. Even items you don’t think of as edible might contain food. Playdough is often made with wheat. Paint can sometimes contain egg. Lip gloss can contain coconut oil. Check to make sure that the items you offer really are non-food items– with no food ingredients.
Who started the Teal Pumpkin Project?
The Teal Pumpkin Project was founded by Becky Basalone, the mother of a child with a food allergy and the director of the community food allergy support group, Food Allergy Community of East Tennessee (FACET).
After FACET’s project became a local success in Tennessee, FACET partnered with the national food allergy awareness and advocacy group, FARE, to make the Teal Pumpkin Project a nationwide phenomenon.
Why teal?
Teal is the official color for food allergy awareness. Teal-colored pumpkins are a sign to kids with food allergies that you are allergy-aware and allergy-friendly.
But teal is not just for Halloween pumpkins! Teal stands for food allergy awareness year-round. In addition to supporting the Teal Pumpkin Project, you can help raise food allergy awareness during Food Allergy Awareness week each May by encouraging your local businesses and landmarks to participate in the Turn It Teal colored lighting project.
What are some other ideas for safe Halloween fun for kids with food allergies?
For extra safe Halloween fun, check to see whether any food allergy support or advocacy groups in your area offer a food-free Halloween party or a food-free trunk-or-trinket.
Gateway FEAST offers our own food-free Halloween Party in St. Louis, Missouri each October.