I'd probably die from not being able to talk at lunch rather than dying from choking on it.

Seriously though, I think it is a bit extreme to ban talking because two kids choked on food. It may not have even been the talking to blame, they could've been eating too fast as I know that has happened to me before.

I think this may cause more problems than solutions. A trouble kid or two may want to rebel against this strict rule and talk a lot or even start a food fight of some sort. I know when I was in elementary school, we had to be quiet in the cafeteria if we wanted to have recess. A paraprofessional would stand there watching us eat and if we got too loud, she'd blow a whistle. If she had to blow it more than 3 times, we wouldn't have recess. It was tough not to talk and most of the time we didn't have recess because it was SO tempting to talk while we were eating. It's like our nature or something!

Yes, it was sad that these kids choked on the food, but I don't think shutting them up completely will be the answer! Like CatLady said (sorry, I don't know your name) the kids should learn that if you talk too much and eat to fast, that it could lead to choking.