Is your kid’s Halloween candy safe? Here’s what to look out for, experts say
Bubble gum, candy bars and those chewy treats you can’t seem to scrape from your teeth.
Sugary sweets are a huge part of Halloween, and kids look forward to hauling their bag full of treats back home for eating.
Whether you’re going the traditional route of trick-or-treating (though it’s strongly discouraged this year) or playing it safe due to the COVID-19 pandemic, here’s what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says parents should look out for before letting children dig in.
First, unwrapped snacks and sweets are off limits. The same goes for homemade and baked goods, unless you personally know the giver.
“Tell children not to accept — or eat — anything that isn’t commercially wrapped,” according to the FDA’s website, which lists top tips for making sure Halloween candy is safe to consume.
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For goodies that are wrapped, parents should check the label for ingredients their child might be allergic to, such as peanuts or wheat. Candy packaging should also be searched for signs of tampering including rips, tears or tiny pinholes. Odd appearance or discoloration is also a red flag, experts say.
“Don’t eat anything that appears to be punctured,” Rania Mankarious, CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston, told McClatchy News. “If it appears old or molded ... it’s best to just discard those. Packages that have been opened and redistributed, we tend not to eat those either.”
Aside from tampering, Mankarious said a main concern this year are candy wrappers that may have come in contact with the coronavirus. Early studies have found the virus can survive up to three days on plastic and linger as droplets for several hours in the air, according to Harvard Health.
“I think the biggest question is how are you as family going to handle Halloween this year,” she said. “In general, the big ticket thing we have heard is how do you make sure the packaging itself isn’t contaminated just through the sheer movement from hand to hand?”
The CDC has labeled door-to-door trick or treating as a “high-risk activity,” so Mankarious said families should come up with a plan to celebrate safely with steps like incorporating face masks into Halloween costumes, going out in smaller groups, and even wiping down the outside of candy wrappers before letting children open and eat them.
“These are really important questions parents need to tackle,” she said.
Those with younger children should also take care to remove choking hazards such as hard candies and gum from Halloween treat bags, according to the FDA. To be extra safe, experts advise keeping kids out of their candy haul until it can be thoroughly inspected by an adult at home.
Can’t wait to sink your teeth into something sweet? Try having a snack before heading out to resist the urge of nibbling on candy before it has been checked, experts say.
If you come across tainted candy or treats, contact local authorities or the Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222
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