Should Hot Dogs Be Redesigned?
Posted: Monday, February 22, 2010
by Laura Trahan
Let's be honest, I sometimes feed my kids hot dogs. O.k., a little more then sometimes.
I know that health wise I am doing a disservice to my kids. I know people have looked down their nose on us a many of times. However, I also know that when my son has clubs until five and practice at 6 until 8 and then homework and bed, hot dogs make a great quick meal.
That being said, the shape of the hot dogs do make me a nervous wreck. I have seen countless kids over the years get choked on hot dogs.
This fear which is just not held by parents has led the American Academy of Pediatrics to push for the redesign of the hot dog along with some candies and new warning labels in an effort to reduce the amount of choking incidents in children.
"We know what shape, sizes and consistencies pose the greatest risk for choking in children and whenever possible food manufacturers should design foods to avoid those characteristics, or redesign existing foods when possible, to change those characteristics to reduce the choking risk," said Dr. Gary Smith, immediate-past chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention and lead author of the organization's new policy statement on preventing choking, reported by Yahoo News.
Let me tell you how fast it can happen. A few weeks ago while sitting in the cafeteria at my son's school, I watched as a kid struggled to breath. Several classmates told the teacher on duty that something was wrong with this boy. When she went over to him, he got up and started walking to the bathroom. She asked repeatedly if he was ok, which he shook his head yes. By the time he made it across the cafeteria, his face was beet red. She quickly grabbed him and thrusted upward to have a piece of hot dog fly out. At the time, several teachers shared about a former student who died years ago from choking on a hot dog at school.
If they are so dangerous, why do they continue to sell them?
Hot dogs are a prime offender of children's deaths, accounting for 17 percent of food-related asphyxiations in children under the age of 10, according to one study.
Yahoo News reports: "If you were to take the best engineers in the world and asked them to design a perfect plug for a child's airway, you couldn't do better than a hot dog," Smith said. "It's the right size, right shape. It's compressible so it wedges itself in. When they're in that tight [it's] almost impossible, even with the correct training and the correct equipment, to get out. When it's wedged in tightly, that child is going to die."
That makes me think twice as a mom before I feed them hot dogs on a busy night. Drive-thru might make a better, safer option.
While the FDA reviews the findings, parents need to step up. I always try to cut my kids hot dogs. Even my nine year old has his cut to eat. It is embarrassing to him, but that is what moms are for, right?
I cut down the middle then cross-wise. For now as parents, we need to take the initiative. If the hot dog does get redesigned, there is no idea on how long it would take to even get that done. We are after all talking about redesigning buns as well. In the corporate world, that might be way too much for companies to handle.
Parents need to be proactive and observant when it comes to family dinner time. Other foods on the list that pose threats are grapes, peanuts and peanut butter. Take action parents and protect your kids!
This Article has been viewed 409 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)Great article. Well done.Wow. I've read about what they put in hot dogs but I've never really heard of the choking risk they have. Perhaps we could give them wings.
There's nothing better than a hotdog at a baseball game or cooked on the grill on a summer day. Are they still a favourite at kid's birthday parties or has pizza taken over? I think they should redesign them and rethink what goes in them, then we could enjoy a hotdog ourselves and serve them to our children guilt free.
A good hotdog never hurt anybody- I grew up eating them- so did my kids- didn't hurt us. people can choke on just about anything if it's not properly chewed. You're a good mom- don't worry about it. Just tell the kids not to poke the hotdog down their throat, and chew good, like for anything else.- Always- Ella
I like to slice the hotdog in half lengthwise making two skinny half-moon shaped hot dog pieces. I tend to cook them in a frying pan this way and I can get more of the hot dog browned and it does have less risk as a choking hazard!
I was so shocked to read that hot dogs were causing choking in children. If this is the case, the traditional hot dog should have a re-design.
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.