Halloween Is Coming: FoodSafety.gov Urges Parents to Inspect Treats at Home and Toss Anything Suspicious
Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31, and the federal food-safety portal FoodSafety.gov has compiled its annual Halloween food-safety guidance drawn from the Food and Drug Administration FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA for families preparing for trick-or-treating.
Before children head out, give them a light meal or snack so they are not tempted to nibble on treats before those treats have been inspected, and urge them to wait until they get home and let a parent check their haul first.
Only commercially wrapped treats should be accepted — and anything that is not commercially wrapped should not be eaten. At home, inspect every treat for signs of tampering, such as an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers, and throw away anything that looks suspicious. Parents of very young children should remove choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies and small toys. For a child with a food allergy, check labels to make sure the allergen is not present, and do not let the child eat any home-baked goods.
For families hosting a Halloween party, FoodSafety.gov advises serving only pasteurized juice or cider, since unpasteurized products can carry harmful bacteria such as Salmonella; never tasting raw cookie dough or cake batter made with raw eggs; and rinsing apples thoroughly under cool running water — using a produce brush for surface dirt — before bobbing for apples.
FoodSafety.gov is the federal gateway for food-safety information from the FDA, USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：南瓜碗里装满独立包装的万圣节糖果（资料图）。美国空军 Jessel Fabara 摄，公共领域，via Wikimedia Commons / Photo: A pumpkin bowl of individually wrapped Halloween candy (file photo). U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jessel Fabara, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
