It’s time for my October warning. Some have not heeded it in the past, and the threat is bigger than ever this year. I’m talking about pumpkin-flavored everything and the unbridled use of pumpkin spice.

Marie Wright said on the takeout.com website, “I wonder if people would even eat pumpkin pie if it doesn’t have pumpkin spice in it. Pumpkin doesn’t really taste like much. Pumpkin spice is a comfort flavor, a nostalgic flavor. They’re warm flavors, they make us feel comforted, warm, relaxed.”

By now, most of us are used to pumpkin flavoring in ice cream treats, pastries, coffees and lattes, and candles etc. showing up at this time of year. A quick internet scan shows that the spice has infiltrated into places most can’t even imagine.

Many food items have succumbed to the spices. Oreo cookies are reviving a 2017 flavor of golden cookies with, yes, pumpkin spice crème in the middle. Not ready for a cookie, then try the limited-edition version of the well-known Twinkie.

Candy companies are jumping on the pumpkin-shaped bandwagon too. Most people like KIT KAT candy bars but how about a bag of mini-bars that are described as “crispy wafers in pumpkin pie crème.” Some candy makers switch to making a holiday malted milk ball. Fortunately, they are easily avoided, I mean identified, by their orange coating.

Two heavy hitters in the food industry, Pepperidge Farm teamed up with Dunkin Donuts to produce a new pumpkin-flavored goldfish cracker. The fish-shaped munchies are supposed to taste like donuts. I would rather have the doughnut.

Pringles chips, the ones in the tennis ball can, piles on by joining the crowd with pumpkin spice chips. Add to this Triscuit crackers with a “limited edition” of natural-flavored pumpkin and spice treats. Who doesn’t want to eat a cracker that tastes like a pumpkin and a wicker chair?

Want a cup of ramen noodles with those crackers? Nissin Cup Noodles will for the second year produce a pumpkin spice cup of noodles. Nissin says love it or hate it. I will pass on even trying it.

Next, but certainly not the end of the list, is the Jell-O brand. They have a pumpkin spice instant pudding and pie filling. Who needs that pesky crust, anyway?

Two more food-related items caught my eye. Sprouts Farmers Market (a grocery store, actually) hasn’t neglected the organic crowd this year. They are offering pumpkin kale chips. Now, kale needs all the help it can get, but I don’t think pumpkin is the answer.

If all this food makes you thirsty, how about some eggnog? The local dairy that delivers milk to my door every week offers eggnog about this time of year. Their website shows that I can buy a quart of pumpkin spice eggnog. I usually splurge and get one quart of nog a year. If I spike it with anything, it will not be related to pumpkins.

Rumors on the internet said that Charmin toilet tissue came out with a pumpkin spice-scented product. This is not true. But wait, there’s more. Green Meadow Valley company has saved the day. Fragrance oil is infused with natural essential oils, including cinnamon, clove and ginger making the tissues special. Some 251 people rated the tissue with an average of four-and-a-half stars out of five.

Lastly, I give you Glade air freshener spray that smells like pumpkin spice, of course. That way, your entire house can smell of pumpkins for the next few months. What a great world we live in.