Redesigned Hot Dog

by Nalina Shapiro

Hot dogs are not the healthiest choice, but they certainly are one of America’s favorite foods. Eating a hot dog will set you back a few hundred calories, add unnecessary sodium to your body, and also artificial preservatives. Now, add one more item to the list, a choking hazard.

On Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics said, they want food like hot dogs to come with a warning label, not due to nutritional risks, but because they pose a choking hazard to babies and children. In addition to this, they want to “redesign” the shape, size and texture of hot dogs, making them less likely to clog a youngster’s throat.

 More than 10,000 children under 14 end up in the emergency room because they choked on food. As many as 77 of those children die, according to the new policy statement published online Monday in Pediatrics. Hot dogs contribute to about 17% of all food related deaths.

 Currently, the Consumer Product Safety Commission requires labels on toys with small parts. The warning labels notify consumers not to give them to kids under three. On the other hand, there are no required warning labels on food, even with food causing more than half of non-fatal choking episodes.

 There is no current plan on exactly how the hot dog will be redesigned. Now more than ever manufacturers, and health providers are stressing the importance of educating parents on food and proper ways to feed children. Doctors urge parents and caregivers to cut hot dogs and other food into small pieces, and make sure kids take small bites. Also, doctors said cooked soft food is easier to digest. Raw carrots, for example, can pose a risk, so cooking them until they are soft will minimize the chance of choking among children.

 Critics of the new “redesigned dog” said  it is the last thing we need because of the obesity epidemic across the country. They fear changing the shape of hot dogs and other unhealthy foods will increase intake and complicate the obesity issues kids face today.