Food Skewers
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Containers, Tableware & Packaging · CPSC Code 429
Up 24% over 5 years
The verdict
Food Skewers carry a danger score of 33/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 655 ER-treated injuries a year that are rising by about 24% over the last five years.
- 33/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 655
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 3.8%
- end in hospital admission
- 5-14
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 429 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 33/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for food skewers - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume655 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)3.8%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend+24%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Food Skewers (CPSC product code 429, in the Containers, Tableware & Packaging category) generate an estimated 655 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 13,095 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 33/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are rising by about 24% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2022 (993 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2006 (173 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for food skewers is puncture to the hand, accounting for approximately 1,363 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by puncture to the foot (1,227 cases). The 5-14 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 3,281 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 3.8% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 2 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how food skewers fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 562 | 968 | |
| 5-14 | 2,058 | 1,223 | |
| 15-24 | 679 | 1,214 | |
| 25-34 | 919 | 1,139 | |
| 35-44 | 395 | 1,104 | |
| 45-54 | 367 | 738 | |
| 55-64 | 542 | 505 | |
| 65-74 | 133 | 369 | |
| 75+ | 57 | 126 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Hand | Puncture | |
| Foot | Puncture | |
| Internal | Ingestion | |
| Foot | Foreign Body | |
| Finger | Puncture | |
| Mouth | Puncture | |
| Internal | Aspiration | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Finger | Foreign Body | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Lower Trunk | Puncture | |
| Finger | Burns, Thermal | |
| Hand | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
22 YOF WITH A WOODEN SKEWER STUCK IN THROAT DX: FB
22MOF PRESENTS AFTER HAVING A WOODEN SKEWER PUNCTURE THE BACK OF HER THROAT WHILE CAMPING. SHE HAD A WOODEN KEBAB IN HER MOUTH WHEN HER FATHER TURNED AROUND AND SHE RAN INTO HIM AND PUNCTURERED THE POSTERIOR PORTION OF THE PHARAYNX JUST LATERAL TO THE TONSIL. DX: PUNCTURE WOUND OF INTERNAL MOUTH
64 YOM ACCIDENTALLY STABBED HIS HAND WITH WOODEN SKEWER DX FOREIGN BODY HAND
26 YOM REPORTS AROUND NOON ON 3/7 HE NOTICED THAT A BAMBOO SKEWER OF HIS SANDWICH WAS NOTABLY SHORTER, AND HE BECAME CONCERNED THAT HE HAD SWALLOWED A PORTION OF IT. DX: EPIGASTRIC PAIN.
28YOM REPORTS WITH FOREIGN BODY SENSATION WHEN HE WAS EATING A HOT DOG AT A BBQ AND BELIEVES THERE WAS A PIECE OF WOODEN KABAB STICK MIXED IN HIS HOT DOG. DX MEDICAL SCREENING
35YOM,BBQ SKEWER FELL ON TOP OF FOOT,DX:CONT FOOT
7YOF WAS EATING DINNER TONIGHT AND THEY WERE HAVING KEBABS ON WOODEN STICKS AND SHE SWALLOWED A PIECE OF THE STICK AND NOW HER THROAT IS SCRATCHY DX: FOREIGN BODY OF TONSIL; THROAT PAIN
17YOF PRESENTED TO ED C/O FOREIGN BODY, THROAT. PT STATED SHE WAS EATING SAUSAGE ON A SKEWER AND FELT FOREIGN BODY IN THROAT. DX; FOREIGN BODY SENSATION IN THROAT
25YOF PRESENTS WITH SPLINTER STUCK IN THE BACK OF HER THROAT AFTER EATING FOOD OFF A KABOB. DX: FOREIGN BODY IN SOFT TISSIE
10YOM PRESENTS AFTER HE WAS EATING CHICKEN SKEWERS WHEN THE WOOD FROM THE CHICKEN SKEWER STICK GOT STUCK IN HIS THROAT. DX: FOREIGN BODY IN PHARYNX
26YOF, WAS EATING MEAT WITH SKEWER IN IT AND BELIEVES PART OF THE SKEWER CAME OFF AND GOT LODGED IN HER POSTERIOR PHARYNX, DX: FEELING OF FOREIGN BODY IN THROAT
21MOM WAS PLAYING OUTSIDE WITH A METAL 2 PRONG SMORES SKEWER AT HOME WHEN HE FELL AND IT PUNCTURED HIS NOSE AND EXITED THROUGH HIS EYELID. DX: PUNCTURE WOUND OF NOSE AND EYELID; EYELID ABRASION; EYE INJURY.
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The product in question is the Dunkin Munchkin Skewer. I see MANY cars with FAMILIES going through the drive thru and of course any kid is going to want 3 munchkins on a stick. But the second they eat the third munchkin, the skewer becomes an 8 inch SWORD. I'm shocked that kids (or adults, for that matter) are being given a hard, pointed stick IN THE CAR!?!
We received a Leeds Model 1400-32 Grill Master Set. The product was a gift from my wife's client. It was provided by a third party seller but we do not know which one. The set included 4 skewers. My son used the new set for the first time last week. There is apparently plastic inside the skewer parts that melted on to the grill trays, briefly catching fire and dripping melted plastic on to the trays. We contacted Leeds and they said that the skewer is intended to be used as two separate pieces, an inside one that goes on the grill and then this is to be inserted in to the outside one for serving. The plastic was apparently in the outside one. However, the skewer came assembled and it was not obvious (at least to my 17 year old son) that there were two parts. There were no directions with the set. This needs corrected to prevent someone's house from burning down.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to food skewers on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are food skewers?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, food skewers have a danger score of 33/100 (low risk). An estimated 655 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from food skewers?
The most common injury is puncture to the hand, accounting for approximately 1,363 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from food skewers increasing or decreasing?
Up 24% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for food skewers injuries?
The 5-14 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 3,281 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by food skewers?
Of all ER visits involving food skewers, approximately 3.8% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (96.2%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with food skewers?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Containers, Tableware & Packaging
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 33/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 5-14 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
