An initiative from the Food Allergy Research & Education organization is hoping to provide an allergy-free Halloween to children across the United States.
Founded in 2012, The Teal Pumpkin Project is a community initiative that seeks to provide a safe Halloween for kids with food allergies.
The initiative asks participating households to display a teal pumpkin (or teal pumpkin signage) outside their residence to indicate that they offer non-food treats for trick-or-treaters.
One-in-13 children suffer from food allergy, and more than 65% of children with food allergies have had a negative Halloween experience because of their disease, according to a recent informal poll conducted by FARE.1 The organization says polling of food allergy families reveals that Halloween’s biggest challenge is avoiding exposure to allergens.1
“Families already spend so much of their time thinking about what can and cannot be safely eaten, helping reduce that burden by providing non-food treats is a worthy consideration,” said Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, CEO of FARE. “This Halloween, we hope that everyone will consider the children and families in their communities who are living with food allergy and help preserve childhood experiences that should be focused on fun and connection by participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project. This year, Community Captains can help carry that grassroots spirit from individual doorsteps into neighborhoods, schools and community events.”
FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project Interactive Map
The Teal Pumpkin Project webpage features an interactive participation map that helps families identify homes and events offering non-food treats before Halloween night. In past years, the Teal Pumpkin Project map has featured thousands of participants across all 50 states, Washington DC, and 13 countries outside the United States. The map helps food allergy families to plan activities and trick-or-treating routes in advance by identifying participating homes and events before Halloween.
The project invites members of the public to enter their home or event on FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project Map.
Become a Teal Pumpkin Project Community Captain
Building on the Teal Pumpkin Project’s grassroots beginnings among food allergy families, FARE is inviting Teal Pumpkin Project participants to serve as Community Captains to help extend the project’s reach by encouraging neighbors, schools, businesses and community event organizers to display a teal pumpkin and provide non-food treats during Halloween activities.
There’s no single way to serve as a Community Captain. FARE provides a free toolkit with outreach templates, ready-to-use resources, and a quick start guide to help participants get involved.
More information is available on the FARE website website.
Reference
1FARE poll data: In August 2024, FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) led an informal opinion poll to learn more about the food allergy community’s experience of Halloween and trick-or-treating. Using email and social media channels, general public feedback was solicited. Approximately 400 responses were received over the course of five days. The majority of respondents represented individuals with food allergies or caregivers of children with food allergies.
