Scary Food Safety Mistakes for Halloween Home Bakers

Hallooooowwwweeeeeennnnnn!

The modern tradition came from the Celtic festival of Samhain (summer’s end), which celebrated the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the winter season. The Celts also believed this was a time when the boundaries between the living and the dead became blurred and spirits were allowed to roam the earth.

In the 8th century, the Pope decided to make November 1st a day to celebrate all the saints (All Saints Day). The night before was known as All Hallows Eve, and in modern times, that morphed into Halloween.

Due to the timing of All Saints Day, All Hallows Eve seemed to absorb some of the Celtic traditions of Samhain: lighting bonfires, wearing costumes, and warding off evil spirits (carving out turnips and placing candles in them); most of the modern traditions of Halloween have their origins in the ancient festival of Samhain (still celebrated in Ireland and Scotland).

Halloween traditions known in America have found themselves evolving in recent years as well. The world became a less safe place to send kids out door-to-door looking for treats or doing tricks. People don’t always know their neighbors anymore, so the communities have started having little Halloween parties in halls and community centers for safety’s sake. This has increased the move from bagged candy to more homemade baked treats like spooky cookies, ghostly cupcakes, and homemade candy to share at these gatherings.

This shift toward homemade goodies is fabulous, but it comes with new responsibilities. With allergies, food intolerances, and uncontrolled conditions, home baking could be sharing more than that tasty cookie.

Here are five scary food safety mistakes to avoid this holiday season.

1. The Raw Dough

There are many families who don’t have the time to cook, so cooking ingredients can sometimes linger in kitchens for many months without use. Make sure you are using fresh ingredients, as raw flour is a surprising source of E coli, just as we know raw eggs to be.

Make sure your adorable pumpkin sugar cookies are made with fresh ingredients and are safe to eat.

2. The Creepy Cross-Contamination

Please keep it clean and wash your hands.

Germs are everywhere, so make sure you have a dedicated washing station, use gloves, and change them if you touch the stove handle and the other surfaces after mixing by hand.

If you’re using raw eggs, make sure to wash your hands before turning to the cookies to put the ghoulish Halloween sprinkles on them. Use utensils that are clean and not licked by little helpers, and use separate utensils for the ones you are making for the crowd.

COVID has made us all a little more careful about spreading germs.

3. Every Party Has A Platter

I have made hundreds of party platters, and the temptation is to do up big plates loaded with goodies.

Try not to do that.

Be sure to chill your serving plates, and remember that food could be sitting out for hours, so do up small plates and refill them. Bacteria can multiply at an alarming rate if food is handled by others or at the wrong temperature.

It’ll also be advisable to label ingredients of all the treats so there are no hidden allergens or sensitivities. If you used a sweetener, make sure you write down the brand name. If you used baking powder, make sure it is gluten-free, and nuts, has it been made in a kitchen with nuts, touched something else made with nuts, or been around nuts at all?

Nut allergies are so dangerous that it is best not to bring anything with nuts at all, just to be safe, or make a special nut-free addition and make sure it hasn’t been cross-contaminated with the other ones.

In my experience, most parents who have children with severe allergies monitor these things or give the kids their own special treats, but just in case, be extra careful.

4. Allergen, The Real Witch

Sometimes you hear people talk about the fact that they cannot give their children peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in schools anymore, and it can be so inconvenient to have to write out the ingredients, etc.

The bottom line is, when you are baking for a wide community and you may not know the attendees very well, it is best to play on the side of caution. If your child had an allergy that could threaten their life, you would take precautions and make sure you give other parents the same respect. Mark everything clearly if there are nuts, dairy, or gluten (these are the most common), and ensure all parents know.

Keep these goodies with possible allergens on separate tables and mark them well.

Special Caution: If someone isn’t making something at home and is bringing something commercial, the same precautions need to be adhered to.

Make sure the ingredients are on the package and any warning labels about cross-contamination are marked. The stakes will be different when you’re buying off the shelf and find something in the sale bin, or you accidentally pick up something that’s been mislabelled or has been contaminated in the production line.

If your child (or more than one child) gets sick, you should take more action than just calling the ER/ambulance.

If you take a major food distribution and manufacturing hub such as Chicago, it could prove difficult (and expensive!) to track the source of the illness. You’d first have to get the item tested in a laboratory to make sure it’s the culprit behind the illness. After that, you’ll need to contact all the right people/companies regarding the batch number of the item.

All of this can be extremely complex, which is why, in that case, it’d be best to contact a professional. Tracing the source of an illness can be complex. If a child has become seriously ill while eating out, a Chicago food poisoning lawyer who’ll know exactly what to do and how, and they’ll know whether you have a case on your hands in the first place.

Check where the food came from and take action. Other major food manufacturing/distribution hubs in the U.S. are LA, NYC, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Memphis, and Central Valley (CA). Your food items could have come from any of those places.

You want your rights to be well protected, which is also why you need to go for the best person for the job.

5. The Haunting of the Leftovers

When the party is over, what are you going to do with all the leftovers? Make notes of timelines for different kinds of treats. Cream-filled treats, fruit-topped tarts, or dry cookies will all have a ‘shelf life.’ Bear in mind that if anything has been sitting out for any length of time, you should bin it just in case. Otherwise, use your best judgment. If things are properly stored, send them home with those who brought them.

Conclusion

Halloween was made for fun and mischief, but let’s keep the tricks out of the food!

Be forthcoming about ingredients and allergies, and be sure everyone can enjoy the community gatherings. It might be a relief not to have to worry about syringed candy, razors in apples, and bugs in the cupcakes if those were ever really true anyway.

Be cautious and have a great Halloween!