While ghosts and goblins ringing your doorbell on October 31 may be gleefully frightful, Halloween candy can be downright scary for the nearly 25 million Americans with gluten intolerance. A protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and cross-contaminated oats, gluten lurks unnoticed in most common candies. For those with a sensitivity or intolerance, eating gluten may result in digestive distress, fatigue, rashes, or any number of seemingly unrelated symptoms, plus intestinal damage leading to nutrient malabsorption and compromised immunity. Whether you’re the parent of a gluten-free child or simply want to be a good neighbor while handing out treats, here are tips on how to make Halloween fun for everyone.

Before Halloween

Here’s where prep pays off. “Give yourself plenty of time to get kids’ input on preferred candy and verify its safety beforehand,” says Nancy Patin Falini, RD, author of Gluten-Free Friends (Savory Palate, 2003) and a consultant to the Celiac Center at Pennsylvania’s Paoli Hospital, serving people who have the autoimmune disorder triggered by eating gluten. (For kids with celiac disease, even trace amounts of gluten pose a danger to their health.) One shortcut: If wheat or spelt is an ingredient in any packaged food, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 requires that the words “Contains: Wheat” appear at the bottom of the ingredient list.

However, “beware of chocolate and chocolate bars that are flavored with barley malt, another source of gluten,” says Shelley Case, RD, author of The Gluten-Free Diet (Case Nutrition Consulting, 2008). A quirk in the law doesn’t require the wheat warning for barley malt or rye, even though they contain glutenlike proteins that can trigger reactions. Barley malt, rye, and oats (which may be contaminated by wheat) will appear in the ingredient list, though, so read labels carefully. If necessary, contact the manufacturer to verify your selected candy’s content. Because of increased demand, many natural grocery stores now stock dedicated gluten-free sections; if you haven’t seen one for Halloween in years past, make the suggestion early in the month, and give them a list of candies they can include.

Once you’ve collected gluten-free goodies, take a stash to designated neighbors so your child can have the fun of trick-or-treating without worry; describe your child’s costume to the neighbor so the safe treat gets into the right hands. If you buy bulk gluten-free goodies, prepackage them yourself and emphasize to neighbors the importance of keeping them separate from other candy to avoid cross-contamination. And just this once, discourage all sharing among kids as they go around the neighborhood; candy that is safe for one child may be perilous for another.

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