economist suntribune oarcii idoucd thursday oct 31 2002 15 dangerous candy back in some ontario stores by lisa queen staff writer a york region doctor who saw a thornhill preschooler choke to death on a popular asian jelly candy is infuriated the banned sweets have made their way back on to some store shelves i was obviously quite upset this would happen said dr warren goldstein who helped convince the federal govern ment to ban the treats last year but to tell you the truth im not surprised you make laws such as somebody made laws about speeding but people still speed you need enforcement with children out trick or treat ing for halloween tonight the york central hospital neurologist wants to ensure parents are aware of the dangerous choking hazard the candies pose to youngsters the sweets are the size of a coffee creamer because they are covered with a sticky jelly they are extremely difficult to dis lodge once they become stuck in a childs windpipe the candies which have also been banned in the united states have been linked to 15 deaths globally and to 80 non fatal choking incidents dr goldstein is working with the united nations international childrens emergency fund unicef to have them out lawed internationally dr goldstein who also helped lobby the israeli and us governments to ban the candies in those countries said his cru sade stems from witnessing the death of fouryearold roxanne in april 2000 i was there i saw it to a lot of people statistics are statistics you have children die and you think how horrible or you see a photo of the child in a newspa per even but i was there i saw that child i saw that mom he will never forget the sight of the girvs hysterical mother clinging to the body of her dead daughter roxanne her family asked that her last name not be pub lished choked on a mango jelly candy at her home according to the little girls aunt maria roxannes mother was upstairs caring for roxannes little brother who had the chicken pox maria ran upstairs when she heard her sisterinlaw scream ing over the lifeless body of roxanne i asked what was wrong and she said shes not breathing maria called 911 and then made several futile attempts to dislodge the sweet from roxannes throat paramedics arrived and rushed roxanne to the hospital dr goldstein was treating a patient in the next bed as physi cians tried desperately to bring roxanne back to life he will never forget the sight of the girls hysterical mother clinging to the body of her dead daughter the entire emergency department was just devastated by the tragedy the mother was holding her daughter and screaming it was a scream and a sound i wul never forget he told a news conference at the hospi tal last year after learning the canadian food inspection agency had banned the candies last november the agency agreed to outlaw the sweets after dr gerald goldstein the pedi atrician who tried to revive roxanne took his plea directly to prime minister jean chretien but last week the food inspec tion agency issued an alert that the candies are again being sold in southeastern ontario alberta and nova scotia while the agency cannot stop the candy from being imported under existing laws it can pull them from store shelves the banned candies include the ingredient konjac which is the binding agent of these products brands of candies that have been recalled include bb fruit pop jelly snacks in a variety of flavours tenten de coco konnyaku pudding nata decoco fruit poppers and fruit poppers tropical blend for more information call the agency at 18004422342 look at this great deal and youll find many more in our flyer in todays paper only in selected areas 27 fd trinitron wega tv 75 watts x 2 fd trinitron picture tube 3 line digital comb filter favorite channel 5 speed surf channel selection vchip parental control also available in 32 s 49800 898 plus do not pay until z004 die bflick newmarket 17940 yonge street unit a 9058305888 see in store for complete details brtckcard out of town call 180097brick for the store nearest you shop online at wwwthebrickcom lets continue to build cornell together matjamy balm h0mes before mattamy homes and ballantry homes would like your input if you are considering a move to cornell and i would ike to te us what vouarashssfcmff for in i s iwwi mmmm