Check That Halloween Candy Before You Eat It, Gloucester Township Police Remind Residents

Gloucester Township, NJ -- After a long night of trick-or-treating, children want to dump their bag of candy all over the kitchen table, rip open the wrappers and chow down.

Some parents might be joining them, or beating them to the punch, but that’s none of our business.
Gloucester Township Police are reminding parents to check their children’s candy before they start eating.

“It is a crime to tamper with candy and it will result in criminal charges,” police said in a statement.

Anyone who suspects their candy has been tampered with should call Gloucester Township Police at 228-4500 or 911 for an emergency to have an officer respond to your residence.

Just don't make any false reports about candy tampering, like this Blackwood man did last year.

Police are advising the following steps to avoid tragedy this Halloween night:
• Instruct children not to open their candy until they return home.
• Inspect all candy for tampering before allowing them to start eating.
• Accept only wrapped and packaged candy.
• Do not eat candy that has been unwrapped or opened.
• Never eat fruit or other unwrapped items.
• Throw away any candy or food that is not wrapped tightly by the candy company. Please call the Gloucester Township Police Department if you believe it was tampered with.
• If you should find an object in the candy or find anything unusual about it, call the Gloucester Township Police Department at 856-228-4500.
• Do not give homemade or unwrapped treats to children.
• Avoid giving choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys as treats to young children.
• Children shouldn't snack while they're trick-or-treating. Parents should check treats at home. Give children an early meal before they head out to discourage snacking.
• Watch for signs of tampering, such as small pinholes in wrappers and torn or loose packages.
• Inspect all candy for safety before children eat it.
• Accept and give out candy that isn't easily unwrapped. Candies such as Tootsie Rolls, hard candies and certain bubble gums with twist-type wrappings can be tampered with more easily than those that are sealed.

Patch file photo