Every Bite Matters: How food allergies affect local families during Halloween
Megan Lavin
IDAHO FALLS — Normally, a parent’s biggest worry on Halloween is how much sugar their kid will consume. But for some Idaho families who deal with food allergies, every single bite matters.
When one piece of candy can be deadly, there’s a lot of stress and pressure to keep your child with food allergies safe.
Both allergy mom, Katherine Lee, and local allergy specialist, Dr. David Petty, DO, recommend reading every single label–especially since festive wrappers can often look different from the typical branding.
Local News 8’s Megan Lavin is also a food allergy mom. Her son, Carter Lavin, shows just how many candies he can’t have and what a food allergy reaction–known as anaphylaxis–can feel like.
With food allergies on the rise, Dr. Petty sees over 1000 patients in the area and reminds parents with food allergies that they shouldn’t allow their kids to eat any homemade treats. No matter how kind the neighbor, if you can’t verify the ingredients, it shouldn’t be consumed by those with food allergies.
Join us tomorrow, Thursday, October 30 for part 2, where Megan will share with you ways you can be inclusive and some safe treat ideas to help those with food allergies be safe.