A study has found that sweets, chocolate, lollipops and jellies are among the main treats consumers intend to hand out to trick or treaters this Halloween night.

But at the same time, 75% of parents said that they will seek to restrict the number of treats their child has.

The survey of 959 shoppers, carried out for Checkout magazine between October 13th and 28th, found 77% of Irish adults intend to hand out treats tomorrow, with those with children (87%) more likely to participate than those without children (71%).

Only one-third said that they plan to hand out fruit (34%) and nuts (31%).

However healthier options are more popular among older people - with 50% of 55+ year olds planning to hand out fruit - compared to 25% of 18-34 year olds, 26% of 35-44 year olds and 35% of 45-54 year olds.

Of those that do intend to hand out treats, close to two-thirds (65%) intend to spend €20 or more, with the average spend on Halloween treats working out at €24.26.

Men are more likely to spend more than women on treats, with 75% of male respondents planning to spend more than €20, compared to 56% of females.

"While Halloween is synonymous with 'trick or treating', parents are clearly taking a closer eye on what their little monsters are consuming, with three quarters saying they are looking to restrict candy consumption this year" said Stephen Wynne-Jones, editor of Checkout magazine.