Sarver — Families taking their little ghosts and goblins trick or treating might notice pumpkins of a different color this year: teal.

According to Foodallergy.org, the Teal Pumpkin Project is a national initiative to make trick or treating safer for children with food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

Individuals handing out nonfood treats for Halloween are encouraged to place a painted teal pumpkin in their yards to let children with allergies know it is safe to visit.

Mother of two Christine Gregg of Sarver said she and her 4-year-old daughter, Sienna, have been painting pumpkins teal — the official color of food allergy awareness — for neighbors and friends participating in the project this year.

Sienna and her brother, Zander, who turns to 2 in November, both have food allergies severe enough to make a candy bar the scariest part of Halloween.

Sienna has had three anaphylactic reactions to dairy products in her life, causing her to faint each time, and Gregg said Zander develops hives from contact with peanuts. His reaction to ingesting a peanut or peanut product could be fatal.

“You go to the park and wonder if your kid’s going to have a reaction,” Gregg said. “I want them to experience things, but I never get to relax. I always have to be on guard and be careful of anything they touch.”

Gregg said she discovered the Teal Pumpkin Project through the No Nuts Moms Group, an online community founded in 2011, which opened a Pittsburgh chapter earlier this year.

“They started talking about the Teal Pumpkin Project a little less than a month ago, and it kind of blew up this year, but it’s been around (nationally) for about two or three years now,” Gregg said.

Kristin Zeppuhar of Pittsburgh is the online administrator for the Pittsburgh chapter of No Nuts Moms, which covers Western and central Pennsylvania.

“I shared (the Teal Pumpkin Project) with the moms in our group,” Zeppuhar said. “So if you are trick or treating locally and you see someone with a teal pumpkin, you know that they have a safe option for your kid.”

The project began with the Food Allergy Community of East Tennessee, a community group dedicated to promoting food allergy awareness, Gregg said. The idea spread through social media.

Gregg said she’s faced opposition from other parents saying the Teal Pumpkin Project takes away from the Halloween experience. But Gregg said the project aims to include.

“I think some people are worried that we’re trying to take candy out of Halloween,” Gregg said. “We’re not trying to do that. It’s merely to let people know there are different kids everywhere that have different needs or illnesses.”

Gregg said going teal for Halloween also helps children with diabetes or other dietary restrictions.

“There are even parents who say it would be nice to have something that’s not going to give (kids) a big sugar rush before they go to bed,” Gregg said.

She will distribute small toys such as glow jewelry, and spider rings and safe candies.

Zeppuhar said alternative treats make Halloween special for a growing number of children with allergies.

“A lot of the times you’ll take the candy for the trick-or-treat experience, but your kid can’t eat the candy,” Zeppuhar said. “I’m happy that the food allergies are getting more focus because it’s more prevalent everywhere.”

Five of Gregg’s neighbors have already committed to the Teal Pumpkin Project this year. Gregg said her daughter will trick or treat with two bags — one for treats that are safe for her and her brother and one for unsafe candy. Gregg will send the candy her children can’t eat as care packages to U.S. troops serving overseas.

Gregg said she’s realistic about her children’s allergies.

“My kids will always have to live in a world with nuts and dairy, and they need to learn how to live in that world,” Gregg said. “But it helps when they’re allowed to be included in things. Every kid gets left out of something, but with allergy kids it happens a lot more.”

About one in 13 American children 18 or younger have a food allergy, according to reports from Foodallergy.org.