Keep Halloween Safe and Healthy

With all the recent news about melamine (plastic) being in baby formula and chocolate, please be careful what you choose to give trick-or-treaters this Halloween.

I received an email this morning from our school nurse about some chocolate coins called Pirate's Gold that have tested positive for melamine. Nothing is guaranteed lately but please, try to stay away from the cheap novelty-type stuff. Yes, it is economical but so are Hershey's and M&M Mars products. At this time of year the snack size bags are on sale everywhere you turn. Plus the real stuff tastes better. Please consider the health of your neighborhood children, even if they are not your own.

Ingestion of melamine can cause reproductive problems and kidney and bladder stones, which can lead to cancer. Why do manufacturers use melamine? When they want to get the highest volume at the lowest cost, they water down milk. There are protein requirements that must be met before milk can be distributed. Melamine has a chemical in it that tricks the test to show adequate levels of protein.

Below is the email I received this morning relaying this important information.


With Halloween rapidly approaching, make sure everyone has heard about the dangers in

Sherwood brand Pirate's Gold milk chocolate coins imported from China.
The candy is being recalled after testing positive for the industrial chemical melamine, a substance at the center of the tainted milk controversy in China that has been implicated in the deaths of four infants and the sickening of 54,000 others. These coins are being sold at Costco, Target, CVS, and other places. Please check all of the candy your children receive this Halloween.

Stay safe.