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Do your children have food allergies? Look for teal pumpkins this Halloween

While the traditional orange pumpkin during Halloween is immediately synonymous with the holiday and the time honored frenzy of children going door-to-door for candy and treats, a new pumpkin color may become just as notable.
Teal Pumpkin

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) – While the traditional orange pumpkin during Halloween is immediately synonymous with the holiday and the time honored frenzy of children going door-to-door for candy and treats, a new pumpkin color may become just as notable.

The family that owns Dempsey Bakery in Little Rock knows how important it is to know the ingredients in each and every treat you consume—especially if you have a food allergy. Know what goes into food is mandatory for Paula Dempsey's family.

"[Of] Two of my grandchildren--my granddaughter, Allie, is gluten, dairy, egg, soy, nut," she listed.

Allie is allergic to all of these ingredients, and she confirmed that Halloween is one of the hardest days is celebrate.

"The candy looks really good and lots of people are eating it like on the street, and I'm just like 'No fair,'" she shared.

There are more than 15 million Americans who suffer from food allergies. The Teal Pumpkin Project, organized by the Food and Allergy and Research Education is encouraging families to paint their pumpkins teal, so families like the Dempseys know that non-food treats are available to kids trick or treating.

Dr. Eddie Shields, part of the national group organizing the project, said a large portion of Halloween candy has several allergens. People mostly think of nuts, but you can also have milk, egg, or wheat. Those could be common ingredients that you can find in candy.

Here is a list of non-food items you can purchase:

- Glow sticks, bracelets, or necklaces

- Pencils, pens, crayons or markers

- Bubbles

- Halloween erasers or pencil toppers

- Mini Slinkies

- Whistles, kazoos, or noisemakers

- Bouncy balls

- Finger puppets or novelty toys

- Coins

- Spider rings

- Vampire fangs

- Mini notepads

- Playing cards

- Bookmarks

- Stickers

- Stencils

Find more information on the Teal Pumpkin Project by going here: http://on.kthv.com/1zhk8BP

Or, follow #TealPumpkinProject

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