Halloween Food Safety Tips Parents Need to Know

Debbie Archer | School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences

Halloween Bony Fingers – recipe below!

The month of October is the beginning of many fall activities such as going to pumpkin patch farms, preparing for Halloween gatherings, kids dressing up in their favorite costumes and enjoying tasty treats. 

“It’s great to have such events; however, focusing on food safety is essential when indulging in those tasty treats,” Teresa Henson, Extension specialist-program outreach coordinator for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences, said.

FoodSafety.gov recommends several simple food safety tips to ensure children enjoy their collectible treats.

1. Snacking: Children shouldn’t snack on treats from their goody bags while out trick-or-treating. Give them a light meal or snack before they head out. Don’t send them out on an empty stomach. Urge them to wait until they get home and let you inspect their loot before they eat any of it.
2. Safe Treat: Tell children not to accept – and especially not to eat – anything that isn’t commercially wrapped. Inspect commercially wrapped treats for signs of tampering, such as an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes or tears in wrappers. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.
3. Food Allergies: If your child has a food allergy, check the label to ensure the allergen isn’t present. Do not allow children to eat home-baked goods they may have received.
4. Choking Hazards: If you have very young children, remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies or small toys.
5. Bobbing for Apples: This is a popular Halloween game. Here’s a way to say “boo” to bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. Reduce the number of bacteria that might be present on apples and other raw fruits and vegetables by thoroughly rinsing them under cool running water. As an added precaution, use a produce brush to remove surface dirt.

If you’re planning a Halloween house party, please be mindful of the following tips: 

• Beware of spooky cider! Unpasteurized juice or cider can contain harmful bacteria such as Salmonella. To stay safe, always serve pasteurized products at your parties.
• No matter how tempting, don’t taste raw cookie dough or cake batter that contains uncooked eggs.
• Scare bacteria away by keeping all perishable foods chilled until serving time. These include finger sandwiches, cheese platters, fruit or tossed salads, cold pasta dishes with meat, poultry or seafood, and cream pies or cakes with whipped cream and cream-cheese frostings.
• Bacteria will creep up on you if you let food sit out too long. Don’t leave perishable goodies out of the fridge for more than two hours (one hour in temperatures above 90°F).

“Everyone can enjoy the Halloween activities and treats but make sure to keep safety in mind while doing so,” Henson said.

Below is a simple snack for Halloween parties using food-safe plastic gloves with candy corn for fingernails and stuffed with popcorn.

Halloween Bony Fingers

Yield: 5 servings
Ingredients:
-15 cups air-popped popcorn, unsalted
-25 pieces candy corn
-5 poly disposable gloves, clear, one size fits most (powder-free and food safe)

Directions:

-Wash hands with soap and water.
-Prepare popcorn according to the air popper directions.
-Take one food safe plastic glove and place one piece of candy corn at the end of each finger for fingernails.
-Fill each glove with 3 cups of popcorn. Place some popcorn in fingers first, then add the remaining popcorn to a glove.
-Tie the end of the glove with ribbon or yarn.

Notes: 

-1/2 cup of unpopped kernels equals 16 cups of popped popcorn. Enjoy the leftover popcorn (about 1 cup).
-Prepare popcorn in a microwave according to package directions or on top of the stove.

Nutrition Information: Serving Size (one glove): 

Calories 130
Total Fat 1g
Saturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 20mg
Total Carbohydrates 28g
Fiber 3g
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 3g

Source: Adapted from Alice Henneman, MS, RDN. Healthy Halloween Party Foods with Popcorn. Retrieved from https://food.unl.edu/.

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