It turns out Halloween isn’t just for kids after all.If you’re the parent of a trick-or-treating hobgoblin, you know you’ve done it. And it turns out, you’re not alone. An Ipsos survey has found 58% of parents admit to eating their kids’ Halloween candy after they’ve gone to bed.And it’s not just parents of trick-or-treaters who are guilty of being caught with their hands in the candy bowl. Almost six in 10 Canadians who hand out candy say they’ve been forced to run out and buy more before October 31 because they’ve already eaten some — or all — of it.In that regard, British Columbians appear to have the biggest sweet tooth nationwide as significantly more fess up to making multiple grocery runs to replenish their trick-or-treating supply, according to the survey of 1,282 adults — with a ‘boosted’ (or ‘busted’) sample of 500 parents..The survey is considered accurate to within ± 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.That number rises to 86% of parents in the US who are guilty of brazen theft, according to OnePoll. And it doesn’t just stop at one or two pieces, either — the average sweet-toothed thief snatches up to a quarter of their kids’ haul.In fact, 44% will actually eat more candy than their children, the findings reveal.It comes amid the usual perennial warnings for parents to check their kids’ stash bags for unwanted or even potentially toxic items.In the UK, food safety watchdogs issued an alert over ten separate batches of ‘Toxic Waste Slime’ lickers after fears a rolling ball in the container that dispenses the sticky, sour contents could become dislodged and become trapped in a child’s throat.Back in Canada, Richmond RCMP were called to a residence last year after a child was handed a gummy containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. No one was charged in that incident, but a 53-year old woman and 63-year old man were charged in Winnipeg for deliberately handing out the psychoactive jujubes..A potentially even bigger risk is food allergies, particularly where peanuts are involved.According to Health Canada, parents should always examine treats and toys until they’ve been looked over, especially potential choking hazards such as hard candies.If all else fails, locals could hand out toothbrushes and floss as treats — at the risk of being tricked.That’s because the Ipsos survey also found that 90% of parents make their children perform an enhanced oral hygiene regimen after they get home and place limits on how much candy they can eat. No coincidence, it was commissioned by Colgate-Palmolive.The downside? That 10% don’t.
