The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is pursuing some food manufacturers such as hot dog manufacturers, to place a mandatory warning label on their packaging. Studies have shown that 1 small child dies from chocking on food every 5 days. Apparently hot dogs are 17% involved in those choking incidents. Any food that can cause choking in small children such as popcorn or hard candy, etc., would be required to have a warning label. The AAP mentioned that some food that naturally comes in a shape or form that can cause chocking, for example grapes, would not require the label warning. Only foods that are manufactured or processed, would be affected.
Of course some hot dog manufacturers, among other food manufacturers, are not happy with having to place a warning label on their products. They feel it would deter parents of small children from purchasing their products. It’s important to mention that 2 well known hot dog manufacturers have already labeled their products with warnings, prior to the AAP’s request. These hot dog manufacturers are Oscar Mayer and Ballpark.
It’s important to not just have warning labels but to educate and warn parents of small children about the possibility of them choking on food. Parents should be educated on how to feed their children, on how to cut certain foods into small pieces, etc. We hope that the AAP’s request will at least start people talking about the risks, especially when feeding hotdogs to kids.
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