Are you participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project? Show me your pumpkins if you are!

The Teal Pumpkin Project is an effort developed by FARE (Food Allergy Research and Awareness) to improve awareness of and promote inclusion of individuals with food allergies in trick-or-treating and other Halloween activities. The idea is simple: Put a teal pumpkin on your stoop as a signal that you’ll cater to trick-or-treaters with food allergens and offer them an allergen free item (candy or otherwise). With this being the week before Halloween I’m a little late in the game with this post, but I wanted to share some of my tips for participating:

Pumpkin: The biggest signal is the pumpkin, which could be anything from a regular pumpkin that you paint to a plastic pumpkin of some sort. You can go fancy, for example these pumpkins had me swooning (they’re just so gorgeously creative) or take a more traditional route like I did.

You may be able to find a pre-tealed pumpkin now that this event has been going on for a few years (2017 edit: You can find reusable official Teal Pumpkin Project pumpkins at Michael’s Craft Shop- but for trick-or-treat buckets or for carving!) but if you cant you can paint one like I did. I made this color with a mixture of other paints I had on hand, mixing a dark blue with a bit of light green and a hint of orange (the orange makes the color a bit warmer, but be careful to add only a small dots worth). After it’s painted set that bad boy up on your front porch, ideally a few days before Halloween so locals can notice your participating.

Treats: Halloween has come to be associated with the giving of candy, but not all treats have to be edible. The dollar store is a great place to find a variety of non edible treats such as stickers, funky erasers, glow sticks, removable tattoos, noisemakers, and other small toys. A friend gave me some glow in the dark plastic bats and spiders to give out.

In addition, I took to the internet to find some candies that were free from major allergens. The two I found that seem the most promising are Dum Dums and Smarties. Dum Dum’s are a product of Spangler Candies, a company that doesn’t use any of the top allergens in its processing (other than corn and trace amounts of soy oil that they state shouldn’t contain the protein that causes an allergic reaction to soy). They are very open about this soy warning, their other allergen free statements, and their processing steps for their candies. Smarties is also very open with their ingredients and process, and are free from all major allergens except corn (and are vegan to boot!). Be warned though that both companies do have their products ‘re-bagged’ sometimes, and these secondary brands don’t always follow the same standard as their lines. I personally choose to go with Dum Dums for my treats for the lower sugar content. There are other items out there that are free of all major allergens, but I couldn’t find any locally. FARE also sells goody bags.

Other things to consider: There are a few other things to keep in mind if you want to participate in the teal pumpkin project.

Signage: Don’t have time to find or paint a teal pumpkin? Print a sign, sticker, flyer, or poster from FARE that you can put on your door or window.

Find Participating Homes: Use the FARE Map to find local participating homes, and of course add your own!

If you live in a home where you are not the one answering the door, or your house is giving away potential allergen candies and non-food/allergen free candies be sure to keep your Teal Pumpkin Project items separate so you can give them to the kids that ask. As you can tell I am keeping my items in an identifiable black cat pumpkin bucket.

If you or a loved one has a food allergy, celiac disease, or a medically restrictive diet I hope you’ll consider participating in the teal pumpkin project. The simple act of participating can make some kid’s Halloween amazing, and with so many of us out there that live with this everyday we know it is the little things that make the biggest difference in our lives. Happy Almost Halloween!