Stop Foodborne Illness Shares Best Food Safety Tricks on the Hunt for Treats!

UNITED STATES , October 28, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As the leaves change from bright shades of green to beautiful golden hues, we are reminded that Fall is here ... and Halloween is not far away! This year, with the dangers of Covid-19 at the forefront of parents’ minds, Stop Foodborne Illness is eager to share the safest practices for trick-or-treating, as reducing the risk of harmful contamination is the foundation of the work of this not-for-profit organization. Remember: Safety first – Spooky second!

Stop Foodborne Illness would like to remind the public that there is no evidence of COVID-19 transmission through food. According to Dr. Ben Chapman of North Carolina State University, a Stop Foodborne Illness board member and a leading resource on COVID-19, “Neither food or food packaging are considered significant ways of spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. However, it is always important to follow good hygiene practices when handling or preparing food for yourself or others.” Click here for the Basic Food Safety guidelines published by the University. The larger concern regarding the virus is its non-food related transmission. Remember to wear a face-covering and gloves - whether they match your costume or not - while shuffling from door to door, grabbing handrails and putting your hands where lots of others have too.

All this to say that there are still dangers to heed while trick-or-treating. Mitzi Baum, CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness, notes, “ Children under the age of 5 are very susceptible to foodborne illness. Make sure your hot foods stay hot (140° F or hotter) and cold foods stay cold (40°F or colder) to reduce opportunity for harmful bacteria to grow. Then, you can focus more on the treats of the season rather than the scary stuff.” Here are a few memorable guidelines to help keep your family healthy and teach them the importance of food safety on Halloween night.

1. Don’t forget those filthy phalanges! Washing your hands is key to avoiding foodborne illness, especially in a situation like Halloween, where candy is passed through multiple hands before it reaches your stomach. When you and your children bring the bounty home for the night, make it a point to wash your hands together before digging in.

2. Hankering for homemade? Hold off. If you do not know your neighbors well, it’s impossible to be sure they did a thorough job preparing the food, washing their hands, and following safe baking protocols. As yummy as freshly baked cookies look, it’s best to avoid exposing yourself or your children to any potential contaminants. Better to be over-cautious than under the weather.

3. Suspense makes the sugar all the sweeter. There’s nothing more tempting than gobbling up a piece of chocolate or two on the trek between houses. However, it’s much safer to wait until you’re at home, where you can turn on the lights and inspect each piece of candy for perforations or tears in the packaging. Find a half-opened lollipop? That sweet is safer in the garbage can than it is in you.


Keep these tricks in mind while on the hunt for treats, and you and your family will be geared up for a healthy, happy Halloween. The team at Stop Foodborne Illness wishes everyone a successful night of trick-or-treating—with only the “scares” being that of the spooky variety.


Stop Foodborne Illness is a national nonprofit public health organization whose mission is to support and engage people directly impacted by foodborne illness and mobilize them to help prevent illness and death by driving change through advocacy, collaboration, and innovation. https://stopfoodborneillness.org/

Dori Wilson PR for
STOP Foodborne Illness
+1 312-965-7575
email us here

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