Chew on This: Not All First Finger Foods Are Created Equal

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Nicol Awadalla1, Tammy Pham1, Ruth Milanaik1

  • 11 Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, Lake Success, NY, USA.

Clinical Pediatrics
|October 10, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Few first finger foods (FFFs) meet American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. Some FFF products raise safety concerns and may pose choking hazards if not stored properly.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Food Safety

Background:

  • The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides guidelines for introducing first finger foods (FFFs).
  • Compliance of commercially available FFF products with these recommendations is not well-understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the compliance of marketed FFF products with AAP recommendations.
  • To assess the safety of FFF products using adult testers.

Main Methods:

  • 41 adult testers evaluated FFF products for safety and dissolvability.
  • Product characteristics, safety comments, and dissolution times were recorded.

Main Results:

  • Only 2 out of the tested FFF products met all AAP criteria.
  • Safety concerns were identified for 2 additional products.
  • One product's dissolvability significantly changed after removal from original packaging, indicating a potential choking hazard.

Conclusions:

  • Consumers should verify FFF product compliance with AAP guidelines, as marketing does not guarantee it.
  • Improper storage of FFFs can alter consistency and increase choking risks.
  • Further research is needed to inform regulations for FFF labeling and marketing.

Keywords:
chokingfinger foodsfood safetyinfantstoddlers

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