What Teal Pumpkins Mean To Parents
October 3, 2016 
If you sell pumpkins this fall, make sure you include a display that reflects a new Halloween trend, one that allows kids with food allergies to safely trick-or-treat.
Teal pumpkins in front of a house indicates non-food treats are being handed out, from toys to glow sticks.
According to FoodAllergies.org, it’s easy for families to take part:
- Provide non-food treats for trick-or-treaters.
- Place a teal pumpkin in front of your home to indicate to passersby that you have non-food treats available.
- Display a free printable sign or premium poster from FARE to explain the meaning of your teal pumpkin.
There are a number of downloadable items available for participating parents, as are T-shirts with the tongue-in-cheek phrase, “Teal is the new orange.” At this point, there does not appear to be POP materials for pumpkin retailers and pumpkin patch operators, however.
“We do have a pin-up program that retailers who are supportive of the campaign could implement at the cash register, and of course, we have a number of free signs available for download from our website at TealPumpkinProject.org,” says Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE)’s Senior Director of Communications Nancy Gregory.
That said, if you host trick-or-treaters at your store around Halloween, there are materials available to publicize your participation in The Teal Pumpkin Project. To purchase support merchandise or download how small businesses can be involved, visit the Support The Project list on the site.
The program began in 2014 in East Tennessee, and by Halloween 2015, it had spread to all 50 states and 14 countries across the world.
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