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tops120Williamsville, N.Y. - Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania, along with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offers trick-or-treating safety tips in order to keep little ghouls and goblins out of harms way this Halloween season.

With an increased variety of snacks and treats available, parents and children are encouraged, even more so this year to take extra precautionary measures to ensure a safe and enjoyable evening. Parents are encouraged to use the following food safety tips to ensure children are protected from any potential food safety hazard.

Tops recommends using the following tips to ensure a safe night:

  • Children should not snack while they are out trick-or-treating. Urge your children to wait until they get home and you have had a chance to inspect the items they've collected before consuming. To help prevent children from snacking, give them a light meal or snack before they head out.
  • Tell children not to accept, and especially not to eat anything that is not commercially wrapped.
  • Parents of very young children should remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies or small toys.
  • Inspect commercially wrapped treats for signs of tampering, such as an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.
  • Allergies to peanuts and tree nuts are the most common food allergies that effect children. Let's not exclude those children from the fun by contaminating their trick-or-treat bag.

"Food safety is an extremely high priority at Tops," said Jim DiMartino, senior manager of food safety for Tops Markets. "We know that children are anxious to dive into their Halloween goodies, but as a retailer committed to the safety and health of our customers, we urge parents to think proactively in order to have a safe Halloween night."

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