UK FSA: Slushies Unsuitable For Children Under 4 due to Glycerol
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a new voluntary guidance for industry on glycerol in slush-ice drinks, advising that they should not be sold to children four years of age and under. Manufacturers are also being advised to tell retailers that they should not offer free refill promotions to children under 10 years old to prevent young children from being exposed to excessive amounts of glycerol.
The guidance follows two cases in Scotland one in 2021 and one in 2022, where children were hospitalized because of glycerol intoxication. At very high levels of exposure—typically when several servings are consumed by a child in a short space of time—glycerol intoxication could cause shock, hypoglycemia, and loss of consciousness.