family

Healthy “Treats” British Kids Can Expect To Receive This Halloween, According To New Research

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

A new nationwide study suggests that many trick or treaters will be shocked this Halloween - not by ghosts or ghouls, but by the healthy treat options that millions of Brits will be handing out to them this year.

Photo by Tangerine Newt on Unsplash

The research found that almost HALF (49 percent) of Britons who will buy in snacks for children doing the rounds this Halloween claim they will try and leave healthier treats.

To the excited cries of ‘trick or treat!’, a quarter (25 percent) of adults will be dishing out mini boxes of raisins, a fifth (20 percent) will be handing round shiny apples, and 14 percent will be giving out bags of fruit chips.

While almost a third (30 percent) of Brits will be swapping the bags of traditional sweeties for sugar free alternatives, letting kids have the fun of a sweet treat without the sugar.

The study, by Amazon Fresh, also found that one in 10 (9 percent) trick or treaters are set to receive carrot sticks on the big night, 13 percent will be given oat flapjacks, and 13 percent will receive a banana.

Grapes (11 percent) and rice cakes (8 percent) will also be offered to millions of children wearing scary costumes and hoping for treats.

54 percent of those polled cited their reason for leaving healthy snacks was that on the whole, modern children eat far too much sugar.

Russell Jones, Country Manager for Amazon Fresh UK commented:
“We know that people across the country are excited about Halloween this year, and trick or treating is a huge part of the tradition. We are increasingly seeing a shift to more healthy treats but whether it’s flapjacks or Black Jacks that people are planning on giving out this year, we just hope parents and children alike enjoy the night.”

However, the study found that, despite the increase in more healthy options for Halloween, 51 percent of those polled said they wouldn’t dream of giving kids anything other than sweets or chocolate, arguing that it only happens once a year (67 percent) and that it’s just a bit of fun (59 percent).

And an honest 18 percent admit they wouldn’t want to be the odd ones out putting out healthier snacks, as everyone else always offers traditional chocolates and sweets.

While a cheeky 82 percent of the parents polled admit to having stolen some of their kids’ sugary Halloween haul to enjoy themselves.

The research also found that three quarters of British parents (76 percent) absolutely FORBID their kids from eating all their Halloween treats in one go, insisting the sugary snacks are eaten across an eight-day period on average.

When it comes to what motivates Brits to buy in treats for Halloween visitors, 60 percent do it as children find trick or treating so fun, while 39 percent say it makes them feel part of the wider community.

The amount that the average household will fork out on Halloween treats was found to be £19 - with Londoners splashing out the most, at £25 per household.

TOP ‘HEALTHY’ TREATS THAT WILL BE HANDED OUT TO KIDS THIS HALLOWEEN

Sugar-free sweets - 30%
Mini packets of raisins - 25%
Apples - 20%
Nuts - 14%
Fruit chips - 14%
Bananas - 13%
Oat flapjacks - 13%
Grapes - 11%
Vegetable crisps - 10%
Carrot sticks - 9%
Dried mango - 8%
Rice cakes - 8%
Other fresh fruit - 7%
Energy/Protein balls - 7%
Assorted dried fruit - 6%

Research of 1500 Brits who will be buying sweets for trick or treaters this year, commissioned by Amazon Fresh and conducted by Perspectus Global in Oct 2021