Photo/Illutration The school lunch served on Feb. 26 to the student who fatally choked on a quail egg in the "oden" stew, right (Provided by the municipal government of Miyama)

MIYAMA, Fukuoka Prefecture–-A 7-year-old student died on Feb. 26 after apparently choking on a quail egg in "oden" stew served in the school lunch at a local elementary school.

The first-grader was eating lunch in his classroom when he started to choke on a piece of food, according to the municipal board of education.

His teacher slapped him on the back, but failed to dislodge the object and the boy collapsed.

Teachers from neighboring classrooms rushed to help and performed CPR and artificial respiration. However, the boy was airlifted to a hospital by helicopter and was confirmed dead.

Quail eggs, typically 3 centimeters long and 2 cm wide, have been regularly served in school lunches.

The board of education will temporarily remove them from the menu while taking measures to ensure that students cut large chunks of food into smaller pieces before consuming them.

“It should never have happened,” said Hiroto Machidori, the head of the educational board. “We take it very seriously.”

“Foods such as quail eggs and cherry tomatoes pose a higher risk of slipping into and blocking children’s airways,” said Dr. Takehide Imai from the Japanese Society of Pediatric Pulmonology, who is a specialist in preventing choking accidents. “Children should be encouraged to avoid large pieces of food and chew thoroughly.”

Eighty children aged 14 or younger fatally choked on food between 2014 and 2019, with the most common foods associated with the tragedies being jelly, apples and grapes, according to a health ministry survey.

The Consumer Affairs Agency is warning parents and caregivers of the choking risks posed by small, round foods such as cherry tomatoes and grapes.

The agency is urging that these foods be cut into quarter slices before given to young children.

(This article was written by Shinsuke Nishida and Yusuke Ogawa.)

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