What Do Teal Pumpkins Mean? Help Kids with Food Allergies Have a Fun Halloween

The TEAL PUMPKIN PROJECT and the Teal Pumpkin Image are trademarks of Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE).

Painted pumpkins during the Halloween season are nothing new, but what does it mean when a home has a totally teal pumpkin on display?

Teal pumpkins are a sign that the home is offering non-food treats for costumed tricksters who have food allergies.

The Teal Pumpkin Project was launched in 2014 as a national campaign by Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) to raise awareness of food allergies and to help create a safer and more fun Halloween for all children.

FARE and the Food Allergy Community of Western Springs Area are encouraging community members to paint a pumpkin teal, the color of food allergy awareness, and put it on the front porch for Halloween if you’re offering non-food treats. Join 100,000 households that are pledging to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project. Take the Pledge.

“It’s such a simple way to make kids happy on Halloween and shows food-allergic children that their community cares about and supports them. It’s a huge opportunity to bring awareness to the struggle these kids face every day, sometimes just to enjoy lunch or a play date or a family holiday party. Making space for food-free celebrations and evolving our traditions beyond reliance on a food=fun model are such worthwhile endeavors,” said a statement from the community group.

The number of children with food allergies appears to be be increasing. Food allergies among children increased about 50 percent between 1997 and 2011, according to the latest CDC statistics.

If you don’t want to paint a real or fake pumpkin, free printable materials and window hangers are available from FARE to help spread the word. A crowd-sourced online map shows which houses will participate this year. Participants can add their addresses to the map.

FARE offers the following suggestions for non-food treats for trick-or-treaters:

• Glow sticks, bracelets, or necklaces
• Pencils, pens, crayons or markers
• Bubbles
• Halloween erasers or pencil toppers
• Mini Slinkies
• Whistles, kazoos, or noisemakers
• Bouncy balls
• Finger puppets or novelty toys
• Coins
• Spider rings
• Vampire fangs
• Mini notepads
• Playing cards
• Bookmarks
• Stickers
• Stencils

Kids with Food Allergies is also offering #KeepItTeal resources.

The Food Allergy Community of Western Springs Area coordinates a parent meet-up every other month, with the next one scheduled Nov 11 at 7:30 p.m. at DaVanti Enoteca in Western Springs. Email FoodAllergyCommunityWS@gmail.com for more information.