Whole grapes are a choking hazard - right?!

[Cutthegrapes]

So, why do I find myself unwittingly engaged in a battle with one of the UK's largest pub and restaurant chains to get them to cut the grapes in a children's fruit salad? AIBU to think that it wouldn't be easier cut the grapes than perform the Heimlich on a preschooler in a restaurant?

If you're already thinking, 'Wait, this guy has literally just joined mumsnet to have a moan', then you're not far off. I've joined Mumsnet because I'm a concerned father and I'm not being taken seriously by Whitbread. I was just a concerned father when I raised this issue with Whitbread, following a meal in a Table Table restaurant. When they fobbed me off until their 'next menu review', but thanked me for raising a 'presentation' issue, I became an angry and concerned father. After my email to the CEO and Senior Management of Premier Inns and Restaurants went unanswered, I became a determined father. It's genuinely a life and death issue and it cannot be ignored because it's too much hassle to take a few extra seconds when preparing food for children.

RoSPA and the Child Accident Prevention Trust and may other charities have run campaigns encouraging parents to cut grapes before feeding them to children. Children have nearly died and children have actually died as a result of getting grapes lodged in their windpipes - just do a quick Google and it's not hard to see what can happen if you don't cut the grapes!

I know it sounds trivial, I know I probably sound histrionic, but frankly, it's a bigger issue than that and I cannot think of a reason why any food outlet could defend a decision to not cut the grapes in dishes specifically designed for children. Accidents do not wait for 'menu reviews'. AIBU to think that a responsible organisation might have jumped on the opportunity to do the right thing, simply ask their pubs and restaurants to cut the grapes and take advantage of the good publicity? I'm sure they're careful with nuts in their meals, so why be so irresponsible with grapes?

If you'd like to read my original post and copy of the letter to Whitbread's CEO, you can find them in the visitor posts on the 'Table Table Pub Restaurants' Facebook page. www.facebook.com/TableTable/posts/1164224453670659

AIBU? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Alex

Just sharing this OXO grape cutter in case useful for anyone who has to do a lot of grape cutting

We need more ppl like you, op
Ppl who see something amiss and do something about it.
Good for you!

What about blueberries?

Grapes are one of the top choking hazards due to their shape, size, and slipperiness. But even small blueberries pose a hazard. While they are a true superfood and should be a part of every child's diet, blueberries should be cut in half until your child is able to chew foods safely and completely.

I found that. Also i noticed that there is a warning on Tesco grapes about choking on grapes.

It boils down to cost, the kitchens are deskilled and all food comes pre-prepped. Waiting for a menu change is because of supply chain.

They need to find a supplier that will cut the grapes in a factory and create the pre packed salads, they then need to cost that up to see if they can stand the additional cost Vs a price rise. Then they need to run down old stock, do new codes, roll out to all
Restaurants etc. Etc.

They SHOULD however do it or remove them completely next menu change. That is what you should focus on fighting for.

It won't happen instantly.

Just looked briefly online and I can't find exact guidance for what age to stop cutting them, more experienced posters may be able to advise. Their airways start to change shape between 6 and 8 years of age so around then I think, officially.

Just cut them FFS - I've worked in a pub kitchen, desserts are often made completely to order and when you have a table of 10 to sort out, it would simply take too long. Everyone would then be moaning that the service is slow!

Sometimes, you do have to just take responsibility for these things yourself...

I agree with you. Pizza Express cut the cherry tomatoes in the children's meal so I don't think it takes that much effort.
My son aged 9 takes in fruit for playtime at school, if he wants grapes I still cut them up because I worry that he will be messing around or laughing with his friends in the playground and accidentally choke on a grape. I also never buy the snack packets of fruit which contain grapes....I always notice there are loads left of these ones!

Well if they are making to order they could just leave them out

A six year old girl died in Wales, so I'd say more like 8+.

I'm with you on this. I always cut grapes now since one of ny children choked on one, was so scary!

Today i saw a woman driving her car, her young toddler sat behind the drivers seat holding a pallet of grapes and eating them whole. Could not believe it.

They don't cut at school so over 4 no cutting at school

and did you know, just for the record that hotdogs are a high risk food:

*Hotdog – likely the most common cause of choking related death in children. I had a case during fellowship training in Chicago, of a 5 year old whose grandmother was English: A hot dog. Français : Un hot-dog.
English: A hot dog. Français : Un hot-dog. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

serving him his favorite lunch, except he was holding it bunless and eating it whole. One large chunk was then stuck behind his huge tonsils against the back wall of the throat, and then he could not spit it out nor swallow it (it was not even chewed yet). What a scary case, thank goodness he was able to breathe, get to the children’s hospital, we had him go to sleep with anesthesia, and as soon as I opened his mouth I shoved it up towards the center of the head away from his voice box/airway, intubated him (put a tube into the trachea through the vocal cords) to protect his airway, then wrestled the chunk of hotdog out of the center of his head. You MUST cut the hotdog length wise, even quartered lengthwise, and then into tiny chunk. We try not to serve hotdog more than once every week, it’s considered an emergency food item in our house when I am not available and daddy needs to make something quick. I will go ahead and confess I love the 1.50 Costco hotdog/drink combo, so this has nothing to do with my dislike for the item. But it is so unhealthy so that’s another issue altogether.*

Just cut them FFS - I've worked in a pub kitchen, desserts are often made completely to order and when you have a table of 10 to sort out, it would simply take too long. Everyone would then be moaning that the service is slow!

But presumably the rest of the fruit salad contains sliced fruit?

Or do you just dump a shit load of whole fruit on a plate?

Actually, yes, American guidance is to cut sausages and hot dogs lengthways too I think.

Yes it is. I just looked it up. You cut them lenghtways and even quarter them length ways and then cut them up into small chunks.

I imagine the fruit salad comes ready-prepared in big tubs. As Giveus says, any change won't be instant - the pub co will have to work with their suppliers, who will likely charge more (or have their profits cut if they take the hit for the increased production cost). None of which means it shouldn't happen, nor that interim measures can't be taken.

Hotdogs are so processed i would assume people don't actually feed them to toddlers and small children.

At the same time could you ask them not to bring kids meals out molten hot and on hot plates.
Yanbu, with the onset of finger food I give dd, food at it comes, I cut grapes up at home but wouldn't always think of it for fruit salad.
Additionally at Hilton they chop cherry tomatoes for kids menu surely it is the same?

I renewed my paediatric first aid this year and the advice is now

Grapes sliced lengthways into quarters

Sausages sliced in half lengthways

Cherry tomatoes sliced in half

Cucumber should be served in sticks and not round slices

Art, I'm pretty sure that a lot of people give hot dogs to toddlers and small children. I don't, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of other people do.

I'm I the o lay one that wants one of those OXO grape slicers now ?

^only

A one-year old I knew was severely brain-damaged by choking on a baked bean.

Honestly, some people don't even let their dc learn how to develop their eating properly then assume we should all follow their lead and drag our dc backwards and our businesses pay for their decisions. And we mustn't object because dc die, easy way to shut down any reasoned logic. There always has and always will be accidents, but allowing your dc to develop their eating skills from when they start eating and teach them to sit still seems to be beyond many people, but then you can't blame someone else, which is always preferable. I wonder how many dc wouldn't have choked on the grape in the first place if they had been chewing and swallowing their food from 6months and focused on their food. Or should we go the other way and all food put in one of those food nets that a Mother invented when her dc choked and died (not on a grape?). Hang on maybe that is also the answer to our obesity crisis, never move on from the food net! Grown adults never actually consuming solid food and if they did try would choke immediately and die.