Nutty Warnings

I sat down late yesterday afternoon with an adult beverage. My wife opened a can of Planters Mixed Nuts and we kicked back for a little relaxation. As I was sipping and snacking, my wife remarked that there were a lot of peanuts in this mix. I remembered that they used to say what the percentage of peanuts was right on the can. I picked it up and proceeded to read the label. This can boasts "more cashews". More than what I wondered. Reading further, I didn’t find any statement about the percentage of peanuts, but I did find something new.

There was a warning on the side of the can. It said: CHOKING WARNING Do not give nuts to children under 6. What? These nuts are similar in size to gummi bears, do they carry a similar warning? How about breakfast cereals? Who comes up with this stuff? Is the reason for setting 6 years of age because any older than that they may be able to read the warning? Or, are we older folk better able to dial 911 to get help?

I don’t know about the rest of you but I will probably let my 4 year old grandson have a nut if I like. I’ll take the chance. He’s quite advanced for his age, I guess. He’s been chewing for a few years now. If you don’t allow your kids to learn to chew nuts now, in a few years the warning will have to be changed to: CHOKING WARNING Do not give nuts to persons under 18. What we really need is a general warning to be placed everywhere that says: WARNING Do not allow nuts to put warnings on anything.

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