It sounds a bit strange, doesn't it - "redesign food". When I first
read the headline I thought maybe they were talking about genetically
modified foods, but no, the American Academy of Pediatricians want hot
dogs to come with a warning label.
Hooray you say - nutrition warning labels on processed foods instead of nutritional marketing claims. Don't cheer quite yet. This warning label is about a choking hazard. Yes, the ones found on small toys or other items that can be potentially dangerous for children under 3.
Would you be surprised to hear that the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council (yes, there really is such thing) is in favor of this warning label? Their product packaging already includes language cautioning parents but this label would go one step further...and hopefully deter the Food & Drug Administration from potentially pulling hot dogs from the market, deeming them "unfit" food for children.
My heart aches for every parent who has lost a child from a choking accident. Is redesigning a food that is already processed into an unrecognizable shape, texture and taste in the best interest of raising healthy children? Even with all-beef hot dogs on the market, manufacturers (yes, they are indeed manufacturing a product in a factory, not growing or raising it) aren't required to list ingredients for their hot dog or sausage casings which are made from synthetic cellulose unless noted "natural".
Millions of children are at risk for a long list of health, academic and social issues due to a diet high in fat and unhealthy foods but we don't see warning labels on junk food, sodas or other empty-calorie snacks.
What if these food engineers tasked with redesigning the hot dog come back to recommend we do away with mechanically pulled and factory processed meats, in favor of chicken satay wrapped in a whole grain pita with fresh vegetables or steak and veggie fajitas on whole grain tortillas on the school lunch menu?
From the USA Today article that first shared this story, Alan Greene, author of Feeding Baby Green, says,
"The last thing we need is to redesign candy and junk food with cool shapes, so we can give them to kids even younger."
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