Halloween Food Safety Tips
Halloween may be spooky, but no one wants the treats to turn into treats. Many celebrations include sweets and snacks, to have a real tragedy or accident occur. Keep your Halloween celebrations safe and fun by following these helpful tips.
Keep Trick-or-Treating Safe
- If your children are going trick-or-treating, give them light snack first so they don't go out on an empty stomach. This will help them avoid snacking on treats before you have a chance to inspect their loot.
- Do not accept – and especially don't 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.
- If your child has a food allergy, check the label to ensure the allergen isn’t present. Do not allow the child to eat any home-baked goods he or she may have received.
- If you have very young children, be sure to remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys.
Food Safety Reminders
If you are hosting, or attending, a gathering for the holiday there are some good rules to follow so food doesn't get scary.
- Reduce the number of bacteria that might be present on apples and other raw fruits and vegetables by thoroughly rinsing them under cool running water. As an added precaution, use a produce brush to remove surface dirt.
- Unpasteurized juice or cider can contain harmful bacteria such as Salmonella. To stay safe, always serve pasteurized products at your parties.
- Bacteria will creep up on you if you let foods sit out too long. Don’t leave perishable goodies out of the fridge for more than two hours (1 hour in temperatures above 90°F).
