Happy Halloween: Stay Healthy and Safe

Articles
October 31, 2014

Excited about Halloween? Here are some tips from SupermarketGuru to help keep you stay focused and not go overboard on the indulgences this weekend.

We know you are getting ready for Halloween this evening. Parties, costumes, candy, and fun! But did you know that the Halloween we’re familiar with today began around 2,000 years ago in the United Kingdom and Northwestern France as a festival to mark the end of summer?

In the 800s, All Saints Day was established - which was also referred to as All Hallows. Halloween is actually the eve of All Hallows, which is how it was eventually named. It’s come a long way, to say the least. The National Retail Federation predicts that this Halloween we will spend a record $7.4 billion on costumes, cards, candy and decorations. Each person will spend an average of $78 on Halloween merchandise this year.

SupermarketGuru recommends, if you haven’t already done so, to set a budget. It is easy to get carried away in the supermarket with all those bags of miniature candies and candy corn – and now they are probably on sale! And of course with an excuse to buy candy, our personal preferences and desires may cloud our thoughts. So buy just what you need and don’t go overboard – especially at sales.

Be sensitive to the food needs of your party guests and trick or treaters.  Halloween is a fun holiday but when it comes to food safety and food allergies, we all need to be serious. Find out about teal pumpkins this Halloween here. 

Parents who have children with allergies need to be very careful about monitoring the candy their children eat. Reading labels is extremely important as some candies contain ingredients such as peanuts, tree nuts, wheat or milk that you would never assume were there.

Divide and conquer. After Halloween, place two or three individually wrapped treats into a plain paper bag. Seal the bags and mark with a date over the next two weeks. Allow your child a treat bag that is marked for each day.

How to keep the candy out of your house altogether? Give out individually packaged non-sugary treats such as nuts, raisins, 100% fruit leathers, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or microwave popcorn.

Happy Halloween!