National Teal Pumpkin Project aims to raise food allergy awareness this Halloween

PHOENIX — The free candies and chocolates being shoved into the baskets of trick-or-treaters are usually not the scariest aspect of Halloween, but for children with severe food allergies, these treats could be frightening.

A national initiative called the Teal Pumpkin Project is aiming to raise food allergy awareness and promote the inclusion of all trick-or-treaters this Halloween through an unusual practice: Painted pumpkins.

A photo posted by Blu Kangaroo (@blukangaroo1) on Oct 29, 2015 at 8:25pm PDT

The initiative calls for homes participating in the trick-or-treating practice to paint a pumpkin outside of their home teal and provide non-food treats for the little monsters.

A photo posted by Num-Nums Munch Box (@numnumsmunchbox) on Oct 29, 2015 at 8:30pm PDT

Since its launch in 2014 by the Food Allergy Research & Education, more than 100,000 households nationwide have taken part in the practice, offering children gifts outside of the normal realm of food and candy.

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