They are a sweet, healthy and very popular snack to both nibble on ourselves, but also to feed to our children.
But now doctors are warning that grapes really should come with a warning sign as new research has suggested that this sweet little fruit is, in fact, the third most common cause of death in food-related incidents.
The problem? Despite grapes posing such a chocking hazzard, doctors feel there is a lack of awareness about it among adults.
The shape and size of the fruit mean they can easily plug airwaves, and their texture makes them hard to dislodge, once stuck.
This is what Dr Jamie Cooper, consultant in emergency medicine at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital told the Guardian recently:
“Ideally we would like supermarkets and big chains to consider putting some choking hazard warning labels on grapes, just like they do on toys and other things.”
To highlight this safety issue, a ‘plea for awareness’ by Cooper and Dr Amy Lumsden has been published –with the article warning adults of the hazards of grapes, through multiple cases of children choking on the fruit.
Speaking about a particular case involving a 17-month-old boy, who died after choking on a grape at home, Dr Cooper said:”The parents and other people were there and they did everything appropriately to try and dislodge the obstruction. But experienced people still failed to dislodge the obstruction with non-invasive first aid manoeuvres. A paramedic did attend, but the child had gone into cardiac arrest before the grape was able to be removed.”
Cooper and Lumsden explained in their report that this case is just one of many, and that parents should be extra careful when giving their children grapes and similar fruit, such as cherry tomatoes.
As well as labeling these foods with a warning, the experts also strongly advice parents that all these fruits should be ‘divided in half or preferably quartered’ before serving to children.
Were YOU aware of how dangerous grapes can be in terms of choking, mamas? Let us know in the comments or tweet us at @Herfamilydotie
