The Food and Drug Administration has warned parents about Once Upon a Farm’s Tractor Wheels soft-baked snack bars, citing reports that the product completely blocked the airways of toddlers between 18 and 30 months old.
The agency said the bars may form a dry, sticky mass when chewed. According to its advisory, standard choking interventions, including back blows and the Heimlich maneuver, may fail to dislodge the product. The FDA did not specify how many reports it had received.
The bars are made with whole grain oats and sweetened with fruits and vegetables. They are sold at stores across the United States, including Costco, Target and Walmart, the FDA said.
Once Upon a Farm said it had received three consumer reports involving possible choking hazards and had voluntarily recalled the bars. The company also said it was reformulating Tractor Wheels as part of a broader evaluation of the product.
The FDA advised parents who have the snack bars to throw them away.
Sources: The New York Times Health.