Image by Getty Images via Daylife
About time... we are more aware now of what we should be seeing in the labels...
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CHICAGO - When four-year-old Eric Stavros Adler choked to death on a piece of hot dog, his anguished mother never dreamed that the popular kids' food could be so dangerous.
Some food makers have warning labels about choking but not nearly enough, says Ms Joan Stavros Adler, Eric's mum.
The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees. The United States' largest paediatricians group is calling for sweeping changes in the way food is designed and labelled to minimise children's chances for choking.
Federal law requires choking warning labels on certain toys including small balls, balloons and games with small parts. There should be a similar mandate for food, the paediatrics academy says.
Choking kills more than 100 American children 14 years or younger each year and thousands more - 15,000 in 2001 - are treated in emergency rooms. Food, including candy and gum, is among the leading culprits, along with items like coins and balloons. Of the 141 choking deaths in kids in 2006, 61 were food-related.
Doctors say high-risk foods, including hot dogs, raw carrots, grapes and apples - should be cut into pea-sized pieces for small children to reduce the chances of choking. AP
From TODAY, Tuesday, 23-Feb-2010
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