So says 77-year-old Mary Jane Birkofer of Brookhaven in this e-mail:

I had a recent experience with Sweetzels, the cookies were too hard & crisp and did not soften when dipped in milk. I called Sweetzels and was given a refund but no reason for the problem. On Fri. Sept. 24th I bought Ivins and had the same problem. I called 1-877-932-7948, the number on box. Info on box is SuperValu Inc., Eden Prairie, MN 55344. I was told that they would look into problem and contact National Brands and have them call me. National Brands called and I was shocked to find out they have had several complaints and were trying to remove Ivins from the store shelves because of possible choking on the hard crumbs. They imply that they are overcooked and are manufactured by same baker that makes Sweetzels. My concern was that if I gave a child one of these spiced wafers they could choke or possibly die. God forbid I would have offered one to 2 small children next door. This is Halloween time and all school children look forward to treat of cider and spiced wafers. I suggested that National Brands put ads in local papers and on store shelves place a warning but would be best to remove all wafers from store shelves until a change is made. Ivins' are sold at Acme and Sweetzels at Pathmark, Giant and I don't know where else. I realize that Spiced Wafers are a very local Fall & Halloween treat. In fact my sister lives in Ala. and last season I sent Ivins to her (her choice), she too said they aren't the same as years ago. We are 77 yrs. of age and remember all the happy times at Halloween time and guess we just want todays children to enjoy the treat also. I also suggested that local TV stations could investigate this and report to the public if this is really a serious problem. Thanks for any attention you give this matter.

Mary Jane Birkofer

So there! You've been given fair warning. If you don't want to risk choking and possbily DYING, chew your ginger snap 100 times. Or better yet, go with a nice big piece of soft, moist carrot cake. It has that delicious cinnamon flavor too without the risk of hard crumbs that might KILL YOU or a loved one.