17% of food-related asphyxiations were caused by hot dogs - "the perfect plug for a child's airway"

From Consumer Reports health blog:

Small toys and foods that are choking hazards should carry warning labels - and some hot dog brands already do.

About 17% of food-related asphyxiations were caused by hot dogs. In total, 41% were caused by food items including:

- hot dogs

- grapes

- carrots

- hard candy

Food manufacturers should design new foods and redesign existing foods to avoid shapes, sizes, textures and other characteristics that increase choking risk to children, to the extent possible.

"If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child's airway, it would be a hot dog," says statement author Gary Smith. "I'm a pediatric emergency doctor, and to try to get them out once they're wedged in, it's almost impossible."

References:

Hot dogs under fire: Doctors push for stronger labeling
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/feb2210studies.htm

Image source: Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License.

Related:

Kinder Surprise egg seized at U.S. border - banned by law as a choking hazard to young children http://goo.gl/UNUoG - Sold around the world.