From Cayman Islands Department of Environmental Health

Although Halloween is not an official Caymanian holiday; many local children look forward to participating in trick-or-treat activities.

The Department of Environmental Health wishes to remind parents and caregivers of some essential tips to ensure your children’s treats are safe this Halloween.

• Ensure that children eat a hearty meal before going trick-or-treating. This way they are less inclined to snack on their treats.
• Children should not eat any treats from their loot bags before parents get the chance to inspect these items.
• Tell children to refuse anything that is not commercially packaged. Parents should inspect wrappers for damage or any signs of tampering. Throw out all items that appear to be suspicious.
• If you have very young children, please discard potential choking hazards such as chewing gum, hard candies and peanuts.
• If your child has food allergies; please remember to read all labels carefully to ensure that the item does not consist of any allergens. Be extremely cautious of items with warning labels depicting ‘may contain’ statements.

If you are planning a Halloween party at home; please observe the following tips:

• Keep perishable foods including cold pasta dishes with meat, poultry and seafood; cheese platters, fruit/vegetable salads and cakes with whipped cream or cream cheese frostings chilled until serving time.
• Never leave perishable items outside of the fridge for more than two hours.
• Have a happy ‘trick-or-treat’ event!

For more information on food safety, please contact DEH’s main office at 949-6696.

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