Do you hand out goodies on Halloween? Here’s something to think about before you stock up.

Petroleum-based synthetic food dyes, the preservative sodium benzoate and aspartame are in a lot of the candy that we hand out to trick-or-treaters. Studies have shown that these dyes can trigger hyperactivity and allergic reactions in sensitive children.

The FDA acknowledges that there is a problem, because they have a committee looking into the evidence linking the dyes to behavioral disorders. But they still haven’t forced food companies like Kraft, Wal-Mart, Mars and Coca-Cola to remove these things from their products or even require them to place a warning notice on labels.

Here’s the stunner: Those same companies have voluntarily removed many of these things from the products they sell in Europe. Yes, that’s right. M&M’s loaded with artificial dyes are apparently hazardous to the health of kids in Europe… but not here at home.

Kraft, Coca Cola, Wal-Mart and Mars removed these ingredients from their products sold in Europe but not here. Why not?

Before you buy your Halloween candy, read the ingredient label and don’t buy products that contain sodium benzoate and aspartame and artificial dyes Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has an amazing amount of information about this issue. They’ve started an online petition to get the artificial dye out of M&Ms. Click here to find out more!

Forget the candy corn… leave that for the kids. This is what you really want this Halloween.

Morkes Chocolates mixes a little bit of the macabre with a whole lot of chocolate to come up with a fantastic collection of molded chocolate rats, eyeballs, Frankensteins and more. The company’s been around since 1920, and makes all of its chocolate goodies from the best ingredients.

And if you’re more of a Day of the Dead celebrant, Morkes has a variety of sugar, solid and semi-solid chocolate skulls. They’ll even personalize the skulls with the name of a loved one, just like traditional Dia de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico!

You can order online here, or stop by one of their two Chicago-area locations!

You can’t have Halloween with out caramel apples. Mrs. Prindable’s uses a delicious buttery caramel that’s made the old fashioned way: slowly cooked in copper pots in small batches until perfect.

They also make THE BIGGIEST DIPPED APPLE I’VE EVER SEEN.

I’m not kidding. Their Jumbo Caramel Apple can weigh up to 1½ lbs! Mrs. Prindable’s also makes smaller, more manageable 8-ounce dipped apples. Both sizes are available in 8 different gourmet flavors, including Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Almond Caramel. Whew. Just reading that gives me a sugar rush. Take a peek at their online store here!

Chef Jamie Cantor of Platine Cookies really knows how to make some boo-tiful Halloween cookies. Her scary-themed couture cookies and Halloween Candy Craze cookies (like everything in her bakery) are created from original recipes with all-natural ingredients and mixed in a small batches.

Every single cookie is made to order… which, as you know, is so important when dealing with baked goods! Stop in her Culver City, California bakery or click here to order online.

Serve any of these sweet treats at your Halloween bash and you’ll be the talk of the ‘hood as the ghost-ess with the most-ess!

Run, run as fast as you can, you’re going to want to catch these Gingerbread Men!

Planning a Halloween or Day of the Dead Party? Here’s a super easy recipe I came up with for my friends at  Right@Home, the  bilingual website that’s got a witch’s cauldron full of ideas to celebrate the day… everything from  recipes,  cleaning and organizing,  to  decorating  and  crafts. They’ve even got great suggestions on how  you and your family can get the most out of these beautiful fall days.

What makes the  Save-A-Step Gingerbread Skeletons recipe so simple is the “secret” ingredient: boxed cake mix! Let the kids help decorate these little men with their favorite candy or sweet topping. Make them scary or BOO-tiful… but get creative!

For more recipes like this, sign up for Right@Home™ by  clicking here. 

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