The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging the federal government to require labeling on foods that are known choking hazards, similar to the labeling already required on toys, The New York Times reports.
You have a SuperBall that by government regulation has to carry warnings telling people it’s a risk to young children and you can’t market it to them, yet you can have the same identical shape and size gumball and there are no restrictions or requirements,” said Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, the lead author of the pediatricians’ policy statement on food hazards.
The academy is also calling on food companies to change the design of the biggest choking hazards — especially the hot dog.
There are no recent figures on choking, but in 2001, about 17,500 kids 14 years and younger were treated for choking in emergency rooms in the U.S.; in 2000, 160 children died.
The pediatrics group is calling for regulation by the Food and Drug Administration because parents often mistakenly believe that watching their kids while eating is enough to prevent choking. Some advocates of increased regulation say the FDA should make the most hazardous foods off-limits to young children.
The FDA said it is reviewing the group’s policy recommendations and is considering ways to prevent choking deaths.
WoW, maybe we should put warnings on hammers that tell us it will hurt if we hit our selves with it or that knives can cut. You can’t prevent stupid no matter how hard you try. If parents do not know something as simple as this, then these folks do not need to be having children in the first place.