FDA Warns Against Tractor Wheels Snack Bars After 3 Choking Reports

Q: Why did the FDA warn that Once Upon a Farm’s toddler bars can defeat standard choking rescue methods?

The FDA warned that the Once Upon a Farm toddler bars can defeat standard choking rescue methods because, when chewed, they may turn into a dry, sticky mass that can lodge in a small child’s airway and resist removal. According to the agency, reports involved toddlers roughly 18 to 30 months old who suffered airway blockage or were unable to breathe after eating the bars. The FDA said the texture of the chewed product is the key hazard: instead of breaking apart cleanly, it can clump into a dense paste-like obstruction. That makes common emergency responses such as back blows and the Heimlich maneuver less effective, because the mass may not dislodge easily. The warning was based on several adverse-event reports, and some of the incidents reportedly required emergency responders and hospital observation. Once Upon a Farm said it had received three consumer complaints and then voluntarily recalled the bars. The advisory applies to all Tractor Wheels Organic Toddler Soft-Baked Bars, regardless of flavor, lot code, quantity, or expiration date. The FDA told parents and caregivers not to buy or serve the product and to throw away any bars they have.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 31

The FDA told parents Friday not to buy Once Upon a Farm’s Tractor Wheels snack bars and to throw away any they have after reports the product blocked toddlers’ airways.
Toddlers ages 18 to 30 months were linked to episodes of “the inability to breathe,” and the agency said the soft-baked bars can form a dry, sticky mass that back blows and the Heimlich maneuver may not dislodge.
Once Upon a Farm said it had received three consumer reports of possible choking hazards and had already begun a voluntary recall, though it was not immediately clear when that recall started.
The bars are sold nationwide, including at Costco, Target and Walmart, and the company said it is reformulating the product as part of a broader review.