The US Food and Drug Administration warned consumers on 3 November not to buy or serve Once Upon A Farm Tractor Wheels Organic Toddler Soft-Baked Bars, after multiple reports of children aged 1.5 to 2.5 years "suffering complete airway obstruction with the inability to breathe after consuming the product".
The agency said the bar, when chewed, reportedly forms a dry, sticky mass that standard choking interventions, including back blows and the Heimlich manoeuvre, may fail to dislodge. Some incidents required emergency response and hospital observation.
The company had already recalled all flavours, quantities, varieties and lot codes with expiry dates up to 26 August 2027 on 30 October. It said it chose to recall the whole line "out of an abundance of caution" and that it was working with the FDA. It said it was not aware of any reported injuries.
Chief executive John Foraker told a conference call on 2 November that the company was reviewing likely factors, including ingredient inputs and adherence to manufacturing and quality specifications. No root cause had been identified as of that date.
The recall covers no other products, but some parents are asking about the company's similar Power Wheels bars, launched in March for children aged 4 and over, and whether other soft-baked bars pose the same risk. FoodNavigator reports that the episode has also cast a shadow over the company's financial outlook. Parents holding the recalled bars should not give them to children.
Photo: Cburnett / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: FoodNavigator
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