SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — The ghosts, goblins, and more are just hours away from taking to the streets for Halloween night, but before putting on their costumes, trick-or-treaters should take some precautions.
About 85% of peanut and tree nut-related reactions happen on Halloween. It can take between five and 30 minutes for an allergic reaction to turn severe. The reactions can be deadly and in the U.S., food reactions lead to 150 deaths each year.
ABC10 health expert Dr. Tom Hopkins said it's important for parents to check their children's candy and throw away something that could be a problem; he also said the responsibility doesn't only fall on parents.
If you're planning to pass out treats this year, keeping certain candies out of your stash could put a major dent in that statistic.
"Everyone has a role in making sure that, for trick-or-treaters coming to your house, if you're going to give away free candy, just avoid giving away anything that is of the nut and peanut category, and that way everybody is safe," Hopkins said.
If a child's allergies are very severe, health experts recommend making Halloween treats at home or still going trick-or-treating but donating the candy to other children afterward.
What allergy-friendly candy can you pass out?
The best thing to do is consult a parent or doctor before eating something you may be allergic to as people have different severity of reactions.
- Dum Dum lollipops
- Smarties
- Mike and Ikes
- Starbursts
- Skittles
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