The American Academy of Pediatrics want food manufacturers to warn consumers if a food is a choking hazard. The AAP believes that these warnings could go a long way towards reducing the number of child injuries and deaths that are caused by food.
Currently, about one child death every five days occurs from food choking accidents. While some food manufacturers already voluntarily place such warning labels on certain products, there are no federal regulations and laws requiring them to warn about this hazard, which can lead to traumatic brain injuries and fatalities. While kids under age 4 are among the most at risk of accidentally choking on food, choking accidents involving food has been known to injure kids in their early teens. As a matter of fact, thousands of children end up in ER's every year due to accidental choking accidents.
Our Anaheim personal injury lawyers know how devastating it can be to find out that your child was injured or died because someone else was negligent. Food-related defects that can cause serious injuries can be grounds for an Orange County, California products liability lawsuit.
In addition to choking hazard warning labels, the APP is recommending:
• Food recalls for significant choking hazards
• The redesign of certain foods to reduce their choking hazard risk
• Designing new food that pose a low choking hazard
• A nationwide reporting and surveillance system to monitor food-related choking accidents
It doesn't help that some of the foods that kids love to eat, such as nuts, popcorn, and hot dogs are serious choking hazards. Just last week, a 9-year-old boy died after choking on a marshmallow. Pedro Vicente Hernandez was putting together ingredients to make S'mores during a school camping trip when the choking accident happened.
Orange County, California Injuries to Children
A child shouldn't have to choke to death because a food manufacturer designed a food product in a way that makes it dangerous for kids.
Labels urged for foods that can choke kids, CNN, February 22, 2010
Victoria boy dies, apparent choking on marshmallow, Chron.com, March 2, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Kids and Killer Hot Dogs? 3 Tips to Prevent Choking on Food, US News and World Report, February 22, 2010
