Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich Faces Ban From Quebec Care Facilities After Choking Deaths

As we age many of us are forced to give up favorite activities or comfort foods we enjoyed throughout our younger years. For residents of care facilities across Quebec the classic grilled cheese sandwich might be removed from the menu.

Quebec health officials are now considering banning grilled cheese sandwiches on menus in care facilities following the choking deaths of at least two elderly residents in recent years.

Coroner Andre-H. Dandavino in his report recommended that both the local health authority and the provincial Health Department review the grilled cheese sandwich risks following the deaths of Clemence Thibodeau in 2015 and Monique Leboeuf in 2012.

Both died after getting part of a grilled cheese sandwich stuck in their throat at the care homes where they lived.

In an email to the Montreal Gazette, the Quebec Health Department confirmed it was heeding the coroner’s recommendations and is reviewing the risks of choking on food in the province’s network of facilities. But stated the grilled cheese, in particular, wasn’t a target.