Candy buy-backs and other clever ways to get rid of Halloween candy

Candy donated to Winnipeg Harvest food bank (CTV Winnipeg)

It’s probably safe to say Halloween ranks up there among children’s Top 3 favourite holidays. With a mind-boggling amount of candy at every door, how could it not?

But for a lot of parents, it’s the post-Halloween arguments that are overwhelming. How much candy should the kids be allowed to eat? Should the nibbling go on for days? How do you set limits?

One solution that’s gaining popularity is the dentist office “candy buy-back” program.

The Evans Dental Health & Wellness clinic in Calgary has hosted such an event for the last eight years and the clinic’s marketing manager, Aaron Russell, says it gets bigger every year.

For one evening in early November, the clinic hosts a costume party in which kids can bring in their candy haul. They offer $1 for every pound of candy and every child gets a free toothbrush as well.

The clinic also holds draws for prizes, including iPods and juice blenders. The more candy kids bring in, the more entries they get. And it’s also a great event for those with food allergies, who otherwise can’t take part in Halloween.

Russell says the clinic’s owner, Dr. Thom Evans, decided to launch the event because he’s concerned about the effects of sugar on overall health.

“Candy is not only bad for cavities, but truthfully, the real concern is habits and the fact that a lot of our diet is already overloaded with sugar,” Russell explains.

So what does the clinic do with all that candy that kids drop off?

For the first few years, they donated it to food banks, but Russell says patients raised concerns that passing on the candy wasn’t a good way to promote healthy living.

“Our patients would call us out for giving the problem to someone else,” he said.

They then opted to throw the candy away, but later decided to also make a donation of fresh apples to the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank as well.

“Halloween really does bring out people‘s creativity as well as community spirit and fun,” Russell says.

Don’t have a dental clinic in your area that offers candy buy-backs? Here are a few more ideas to unload your sugary stash:

· Switch witch - Another idea that has grown in popularity, the Switch Witch is kind of like Elf on the Shelf for Halloween. Kids are told that after they go to bed, the Switch Witch comes to take away the candy and leave behind a toy instead.

· Start a family buyback - Skip the Switch Witch fairytale and just tell the kids you’ll buy the candy back from them for 10 or 25 cents an item. The kids can then use the money to buy a gift they want.

· Hand it back out - Do your trick or treating early, pick out a few of the best pieces and redistribute the rest to the latecomer trick or treaters.

· Loot bags and pinatas - If you’re going to be giving treats at a birthday party anyway, why not use the candy your kids earned with diligent door-knocking?

· Save it for a gingerbread house - No sense going out and buying candies at holiday time, when your kids picked up a colourful stash for free.

· Create a dessert bucket - Allow the kids 1 to 2 pieces a night for dessert -- as long as they promise to brush their teeth afterwards. A good Halloween haul could keep the bucket going until spring.

· Donate it - There are many social services agencies that will gladly accept donations of candy, including the Bissell Centre in Edmonton and the Winnipeg Harvest food bank.

· Freeze it - Candy lasts a long time in the freezer, so let them have a few pieces now and and freeze the rest for nibbling or baking later.

· Add it to trail mix - That familiar mixture of nuts and seeds is just a little bit more fun with some colourful candies thrown in. Plus, the protein in the nuts helps slow the sugar high.

· Take it to the office - Sure, you might annoy your coworkers with this time-honoured tradition but it’s about protecting the children, right?