Food Asphyxiation in Children

  • Approximately every five days, a child in the United States dies from choking on food. More than 90% of these children are younger than age 5.

  • More than 10,000 children were treated in emergency departments for choking on foods in 2001, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  • Foods that are small, round or cylindrical, and pliable or compressible pose the greatest danger of plugging children's airways. Common food choking hazards are hot dogs and sausages, candies and gum, popcorn, nuts and seeds, grapes, peanut butter, cheese cubes, raisins, raw carrots, and apple chunks.

  • Currently, no regulations require safety labeling of foods that pose choking hazards to children. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration does not have mandatory recall authority for foods, such as gel candies, that are known to be hazardous to children.

  • Some food companies voluntarily include safety labels on their products to alert consumers of choking hazards to children. The overwhelming majority of companies, however, do not provide any such information.

  • Producers of more than 300 brands of foods typically eaten by children have been urged by CSPI to voluntarily include safety labels on their food labels.

  • Legislation cosponsored by Congressmen Mike Honda (D-CA) and Michael Ferguson (R-NJ) would establish an Office of Choking Hazards within the Food and Drug Administration. The Office would:

    • establish a national database of food choking incidents;
    • authorize FDA to require informational labels for certain foods;
    • possess mandatory recall authority for significant and unacceptable choking hazards; and
    • provide educational materials on food choking prevention to pediatricians and hospitals.