Today the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a new policy statement, authored by Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, that calls for labels to be applied to hot dog packages and other products warning parents of the potential choke hazard hot dogs and similarly sized and shaped products create for children, reports Liz Szabo of USA Today online. If labels aren't good enough, then they would like to see the products redesigned.Dr. Smith states in the news release about the policy statement that the hot dog is the perfect design for a child's airway. According to the news release, choking is a "leading cause of injury and death among children, especially those younger than 4 years of age." Additionally, on average "a child will die every 5 days in the United States from choking on food."
To alleviate this problem, the AAP recommends there be warning labels on foods that are high risk for choking, there should be a recall of current products that pose a risk of choking, there should be a "nationwide food-related choking-incident surveillance and reporting system," and food should be designed or redesigned to minimize the potential to cause choking.
With regards to the beloved hot dog, well Janet Riley, president of the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, notes that food safety is important to the industry as evidenced by the fact that "more than half of hot dogs sold in stores already have choking-prevention tips on their packages, advising parents to cut them into small pieces."
According to the USA Today story, the Food and Drug Administration plans to review the statement.
To read the AAP news release on the policy statement click here.
To read the USA Today article on the policy statement click here.
Posted: 02/22/10
