Gum Guru Guest Blogger: Tim Andon, Business Development Specialist

As summertime approaches I'm looking forward to the usual schedule of barbecues and beachside vacations. And if you're anything like me you're looking forward to scarfing down a few hot dogs this summer too. While the thought of a tasty dog at the ball park may seem like a great slice of Americana to you and me, to some it represents a mortal danger. While most people are aware of the potential choking hazards associated with hot dogs, the American Academy of Pediatrics is calling on the FDA to require warning labels on foods that are known to be choking hazards. Some folks have gone ever further to demand the fundamental shape of hot dogs be altered to reduce the potential choking hazard. While I wholeheartedly agree that hot dogs pose a potential risk, humans are often terrible at competently evaluating risk factors. To highlight this point, I ask you consider the yearly summer shark hysteria. Despite the fact that more people are killed annually by donkeys, every summer we hear about the extremely rare danger of shark attacks. I wonder if we'd have donkey week on Animal Planet if more people were increasingly rational. Who knows if fear will cause labeling laws in America to change, but at least according to this article, Janet Riley, president of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, said of a hot dog redesign, "It's not going to happen." And that's enough to keep a hot dog eater like me happy.