Should we demand choke-proof hotdogs?

Posted by Erica Noonan  February 22, 2010 10:57 AM
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hotdogsx.jpg

Now this is some inspired food science -- the American Academy of Pediatrics is asking why food manufactuers haven't come up with a safer hot dog for small kids.

We've managed to make them less fatty, less salty and less nitrate-y, but they still remain the "perfect plug" for a child's throat.

An estimated 10,000 kids go to the ER every year after choking, and 17 percent of food asphxiations are hot dog-related. So if hot dogs are a clear and present danger, why not design them differently?

As someone who is absolutely terrified of choking hazards, I vote yes on this. I also want to see choke-proof baby carrots, grapes, melon balls and hard candy. (While I am busy making fantasy laws, I will also ban lollipop and gobstopper consumption until college.)

But other people -- especially food manufacturers -- say this is ridiculous. Parents should be responsible for choke-proofing the food their kids eat, using common sense and a knife.

What do you think about designing food specifically to be safer for kids? Or should parents stop expecting the marketplace to cater to us? Leave a comment or drop an email to enoonan@globe.com

(Photo by Mark Lennihan/Associated Press)

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about the author

Erica Noonan is chief of the Globe West bureau. Before joining the Globe in 2000, she worked for the Associated Press in Boston. Raised in Wellesley, she has a master's degree in political communication from Emerson College and a BA in political science from Trinity University in San Antonio. She lives in Natick with two energetic children: Dennis, 6, and Lila, 4.

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