SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A judge Friday ordered a Taiwan-based company to pay $50 million to the parents of a 2-year-old Boston boy said to have choked to death eating its now-banned gel candy.
Jeffrey Jing died in February 2001, after he choked on candy produced by Sheng Hsiang Jen Foods Co., according to the lawsuit filed in San Mateo County Superior Court.
The candy contained a substance called conjac gel, which is derived from a type of yam. Unlike the gels found in most chewy candies, conjac does not dissolve in the mouth and must be chewed.