If you have shopped at a major retailer this season, chances are you've seen a teal pumpkin or two.
What you may not know is that the teal pumpkins are part of a much larger effort to create awareness and inclusion during Halloween.
The Teal Pumpkin Project, first created in here in Tennessee by the Food Allergy Community of East Tennessee (FACET), is now a nation-wide program geared toward creating a safer holiday for kids with food allergies, intolerances, celiac disease, diabetes or any other health issue that may make certain foods dangerous for them.
The project was not created to replace the tradition of handing out candy during Halloween, but rather to encourage those giving treats to have non-food items ready for kids who may not be able to have candy.
Participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project is easy and inexpensive to do.
Just display a teal pumpkin on Halloween and have some items like pencils, erasers, glow sticks, or stickers ready to hand out.
You can find durable plastic teal pumpkins at retailers like Target, or you can print a teal pumpkin sign at the Food Allergy Research and Education website.
Food allergies among children have been on the rise for many years.
According to the FARE website and The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, food allergies in children increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011 and within the same time period allergies to peanut or tree have more than tripled. Statistics show about 1 in 13 kids has a food allergy and though research is underway, there is presently no cure.
For more information on Food Allergies, please visit the Food Allergy Research and Education website, foodallergy.org. For more information on the Teal Pumpkin Program visit foodallergy.org/education-awareness/teal-pumpkin-project.