All the buzz on the NYC playgrounds among parents this week have been revolving around a NY Times article published on Monday, Labels Urged for Food That Can Choke, by Laurie Tarkan (thanks Evan). The piece describes the sad, but true event that occurred to a young child (23 months old) who died choking on a piece of popcorn. Truth be told, I gave my son some popcorn on a recent trip to the barber shop not realizing the severity of the choking threat. Lesson learned – I will stop serving the little guy popcorn for a while.
As a Marine, (the father) was certified in CPR, but he could not dislodge the popcorn with blows to his daughter’s back and finger swipes down her throat. He called 911, but it was too late
Based on the deadly result of cases like this one as well as the choking risks on common foods like peanuts, grapes, and hot dogs for children under 5 years old…
Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the nation’s leading pediatricians’ group, wants that to change. Saying that food should be subject to as much scrutiny as toys, it is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to require warning labels on foods that are known choking hazards, and to evaluate and monitor food for safety.
This sounds like the kind of radical change that took place when Big Tobacco was forced to put large warning labels on every pack of cigarettes. Some may feel that the inclusion of labels on all food products that pose a choking risk is too extreme. Maybe, parents just need better information to be well educated on these risks. Where do you stand? Do you feel that foods should be subject to as much scrutiny as toys?
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