Halloween Candy Safety Tips

Last Halloween, there were reports of tampered candy. As we approach this year’s festivities, remember to keep safety in mind for candy that you offer to trick-or-treaters and for candy that your children bring home. Here are some Halloween candy safety tips to keep in mind.

1 – Keep Only Secure Packaging

Look through your children’s candy and discard anything with loose packaging or home-made packaging. For example, some candies such as Tootsie Rolls, Jolly Ranchers, Dubble Bubble gum, Smarties, and lollipops have wrappers that merely twist to close. These are very easy to tamper with and are best to discard. Keep only candies with packages that are completely sealed and secure. Keep this in mind when you are buying candy to give out as well. Select options with secure individual packaging, so that they are not thrown out by trick-or-treaters.

2 – Check for Tampering

The most important Halloween candy safety tip is to check all pieces of candy for tampering. Look for pin hole marks or signs that it may have been opened and resealed. Those that wish to do harm to your kids will rely on your potential complacency when it comes to inspecting candy wrappers.

3 – Beware of Allergies

After you’ve disposed of unsafe candy, don’t forget to also check the ingredients if your kids have allergies. For severe allergies, look for additional warnings about production facilities. For instance, some candies may not contain nuts but may be produced in facilities that prepare products that do.

4 – Store Candy Safely

Hopefully your kids don’t eat their entire stash of candy in one night. Store remaining candy in a cool and dry place. For candies containing chocolate, consider storing them in a fridge.

Summary of Halloween Candy Safety Tips

All too often, we become complacent. Whether it’s because we live in a seemingly safe neighborhood or we think we know our neighbors really well, we stop performing basic safety checks. The reality is that even in the best of neighborhoods, there can be people who want to do harm to others. Kids and Halloween are an easy target. Keep your kids safe this year by remembering the Halloween candy safety tips above. We wish you and your family and fun and safe Halloween!