Parents should check treats before kids eat

Naperville police offer the following tips for handling candy collected on Halloween.

Tell children not to eat any of their treats unless examined by a parent. Call the police if there are any suspicious treats.

The National Confectioners Association and Chocolate Manufacturers Association have compiled information concerning candy appearance problems.

For details, visit www.candyusa.org.

Variations in Candy Guide

Consumers should be aware of the unusual appearance of some candies due to the way they are made or due to temperature variations that can affect the product.

"Bloom" on chocolate occurs due to temperature variations and gives the exterior of the chocolate a cloudy white appearance (although it does not affect the flavor).

Other candies, such as bubble gum, have a food starch dusting on them. These unusual appearances sometimes occur naturally during the manufacturing or storage of candy.

The following list gives possible explanations for some manufacturing quality issues with chocolate and non-chocolate candy items and gum. If you have any general questions about food safety, contact the Food and Drug Administration at (888) INFO FDA or the candy manufacturer.

If you encounter an unusual incident or suspect tampering, contact the 24-hour FDA main number, (301) 443-1290, or police.

Some problems and possible explanations include:

• Air bubbles -- Result of manufacture

• Graying chocolate -- Fat "bloom" caused by exposure to heat; sugar "bloom" caused by exposure to dampness

• Unmixed color -- Result of manufacture

• "Glass" -- Large sugar or salt crystals resulting from manufacture; hard-unexpanded malted milk ball center; tree sap, a gum sometimes present because of nuts from trees

• Indentations -- Result of manufacture; sometimes due to a timing imperfection in wrapping

• Hard -- Result of manufacturing; may be peanut bit or stem or fruit pit

• White -- Result of manufacture; may be undissolved starch used in enrobing process or sugar or salt from peanut butter

• "Metal" -- Candy burned in manufacture

• White particles in container -- Sugar or starch from manufacture

• "Pin holes" -- Air holes or starch holes that result from chocolate enrobing process; holes from sizing units

• Off-white or whitish-yellow powder -- On product or in container from crushing of chocolate; on surface below chocolate covering may be starch covering from filling

• "Spots" -- Black or brown spots may be sugar burned in manufacturing process

• "Stone" -- Hard piece of unexpanded malted milk ball center

• "Stringy Substance on surface" - Escaped cream from candy

• Odd Taste -- Undissolved citric or ascorbic acid may be unusually bitter or sour; unusually strong flavoring may result from air bubbles with concentrated flavoring

• Wet Look -- Moisture from product of polish solution

• "Wood" -- May be a peanut stem approximately 3/4" long with a rough-textured exterior

• "Worm" or "Larva" -- Leaking of cream center