PETALING JAYA: Paediatricians have warned that gummy candies can cause choking in young children due to their underdeveloped jaw muscles and smaller airways, which make it difficult for them to safely chew and swallow such treats.
Paediatrician and neonatologist Dr Masri Muhamed said a child’s airway makes him more vulnerable to obstruction, and even a small piece of gummy candy can completely block airflow and cause choking.
“Additionally, since children are often active and may eat, talk, laugh or run with the candies in their mouths, it can cause aspiration when the confection accidentally enters the windpipe instead of the food pipe.
“If not treated quickly, it can result in severe airway blockage or aspiration pneumonia (a lung infection caused by inhaled food particles),” he said when commenting on a recent incident in which 10-year-old Mohamad Fahmi Hafiz died after choking on an eyeball-shaped gummy candy during a Quran and Fardhu Ain class in Butterworth, Penang. The victim was rushed to the intensive care unit of a hospital but fell into a coma and died on Friday. Following his death, the Health Ministry has banned the sale of gummy candies in stores and online platforms and said it will seize the candy and act against sellers.
Masri said gummy candies can easily cling to the throat due to their soft and sticky texture, making them harder to remove compared with hard candies, which can sometimes be coughed out. He warned that a complete airway blockage prevents oxygen from reaching the lungs and brain, causing brain damage within four minutes if not cleared immediately.
“Prolonged oxygen deprivation can also result in cardiac arrest, further reducing the chances of survival. Even if the child is successfully resuscitated, complications such as aspiration pneumonia, airway injuries or long-term neurological damage can occur.
“This is why immediate action is crucial. Performing the Heimlich manoeuver (a first aid technique in a choking emergency) or in severe cases, cardiopulmonary resuscitation can save a child’s life. Parents and caregivers should know basic first aid to respond quickly in emergencies.”
Consultant paediatrician and child disability activist Datuk Dr Amar Singh HSS said while young children under five years old are well known to be at risk of choking from food and small objects, such incidents among children of schooling age have been on the rise in recent years.
He said a choking child may become pale or “blue,” be unable to speak, cry or cough, become drowsy and look panicked.
“It is hard for parents to control what their children buy outside school, so the community should work with the government to ban dangerous products like gummy candies and jellies in small, mouth-sized cups, which are already banned in some countries.”
Amar suggested that teachers use online training guides and resources from local NGOs to learn how to help a choking child, including performing back blows and abdominal thrusts.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia public health medicine specialist Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said the Guidelines on the Enforcement of the Ban on Food and Beverage Sales Outside School Gates (Second Edition 2021) has been in effect since 2012 and prohibit vendors from selling food and beverages within a 40-metre radius of the school perimeter.
“However, enforcement is almost non-existent, which is why high risk foods like gummy candies and konjac jelly continue to be sold near schools.
“These items may cause choking and maldigestion. They are also high in calories, artificial colouring and fruity scents that attract children. School security and staff should help enforce the ban.”
Sharifa Ezat said Australia has banned foods linked to choking incidents, adding that Malaysia should follow suit with food labels that display nutritional content and warning of choking hazards for children.
