Boo! It’s Halloween time again—time for costumes, trick or treating, and going door to door. It’s one of my favorite times of the year, and the office staff plans on dressing up in celebration of the holiday.

For those with food allergies, however, Halloween can be a trying time. Most smaller packaged candies don’t come with labels, and parents are forced to just say “no” or avoid trick or treating at all. With that knowledge in mind, the Teal Pumpkin Project™ was launched as a national campaign in 2014 by the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). The goal and mission of the project is to raise awareness of food allergies and promote inclusion of all trick-or-treaters throughout the Halloween season.

Participating households print a flyer and/or put out a teal colored pumpkin on the front porch to denote they have non-food items available.  Examples include small toys, pencils, erasers, notepads, bracelets, rings, glow sticks, sticky frogs, kazoos, and all kinds of fun things!

Last year, households from 50 states and 7 countries participated in the Teal Pumpkin Project. This year, you can be part of an even bigger movement by joining 100,000 households pledging to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project!

Take the pledge and participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project this Halloween!

Dr. Brauer and the staff at Bluegrass Family Allergy are wishing you a safe and food-allergy friendly Halloween!