Halloween Food Safety Tips From the FDA

It’s almost Halloween! Get these Halloween food safety tips from the FDA to keep your kids safe.

Once the costumes are ready there are some things for you to think about. First of all, make sure your kids eat a healthy snack or meal before they head out trick or treating. Tell them they should not eat any of the candy or treats they receive until they get home and you can look them over.

Children should be told not to accept or eat any homemade treats. Only accept commercially wrapped, inspected treats. And when they get home, look over the candy carefully for any signs of tampering, including unusual appearance, discoloration, pinholes, tears, or rips in the wrappers. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.

If your child has a food allergy, check the label to make sure the treat doesn’t contain any of those foods. And if you have very young children, be sure to remove small candies that could be choking hazards, such as peanuts, hard candies, small toys, or gum.

If you are having a Halloween party at home, avoid serving unpasteurized apple juice or cider, because it can contain harmful bacteria such as Salmonella or E. coli. Always serve pasteurized products at parties.

Do not taste or serve raw cookie dough or cookie batter that is made with uncooked eggs or raw flour. Those ingredients can also have harmful bacteria and have caused outbreaks in the past.

Keep  perishable foods chilled until serving time. Those include finger sandwiches, cheese and charcuterie platters, fruit or tossed salads, cold pasta dishes made with meat, poultry, or seafood, and cream pies or cakes with whipped cream and cream cheese frostings. And after two hours, remove and discard the food.

Instead of bobbing for apples, which can spread bacteria, include other games such as pin the smile on the pumpkin.

Enjoy your Halloween and have a wonderful time!