With Halloween just two weeks away, here's a timely heads-up for parents.

Watch out for a trick that might be passed off as a treat, namely sweets with added caffeine.

Halloween is the one time a year when most parents cut their kids some slack and ease up on how many sweets they can eat. But keep this in mind -- some of the candy the kids will get could have a little caffeine kick.

What may look like an average Snickers candy bar could be the version loaded with almost as much caffeine as a can of Red Bull.

"There's a new trend in candy in that the manufacturers are adding caffeine to some of the bar," said Samantha Cassetty, R.D., nutrition director at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute. "So the Snickers Charged bar has 60 milligrams of caffeine. The Jelly Belly Extreme Sports beans have 50 milligrams of caffeine."

Compare that to a Red bull energy drink, which has 80 milligrams of caffeine.

Caffeine can increase blood pressure in some kids and adults.

"The products are marketed towards adults and in fact, they are not recommended for children.

"The labels clearly state that they are not intended for consumption by children, but sometimes they're sold in the pharmacy section and other times they might be sold near the regular candy, so there's a chance that they could wind up in your child's trick or treat basket," said Cassetty.

If you don't want to give trick-or-treaters candy for Halloween, Cassetty says, you can offer them granola bars. You can find ones made with whole grains, and they're a sweet, crunchy, sensible snack.

By the way, some people who've tried the Snickers Charged bar said it had the kind of aftertaste you might get with Diet Coke.

And while we're on the subject of Halloween treats, let's talk about some of the dangers that come with trick-or-treating.

Parents need to remember that the biggest risk to your kids is getting hit by a car while going from house to house. Make sure those costumes have something reflective on both sides, and give kids a flashlight or glow stick to make them more visible.

More information:

Avoid caffeine-heavy Halloween candy