The Food Standards Agency Board has called on industry to work
with the regulator to help protect children from the effects of
glycerol in slush ice drinks, based on an assessment showing a
risk to children under the age of seven.
At its meeting on Wednesday 18 June, the Board endorsed advice
that slush ice drinks containing glycerol are not suitable for
children under seven. They also asked for this to be clearly
communicated to parents and carers and directed officials to
develop a ‘greatly enhanced voluntary approach' for industry to
help manage glycerol intake in young children over the
longer-term.
‘In the warm weather, children may be more likely to consume
slush ice drinks containing glycerol, so it's important that
parents and carers are aware of the risks. As a precaution, the
FSA is recommending that children under seven do not consume
slush ice drinks containing glycerol. With our counterparts in
Scotland, we will be talking to parent groups and charities to
provide updated guidance that is useful and applicable across the
UK.
‘We expect industry to share data on the quantity of glycerol in
their products to inform our future work. Meanwhile, there are
immediate actions they can take that can help protect children
and reduce the risk from these products. For example, retailers
should limit cup sizes and should not offer free refill
promotions to children under 10.'
Professor Susan Jebb, FSA Chair
The findings of the latest FSA risk assessment on glycerol in
slush ice drinks were discussed as part of the meeting. The
assessment incorporated information from recent glycerol
intoxication incidents and assessed the impact of one serving of
slush ice drink (350ml with 50,000mg/L glycerol) on children with
a lower-than-average body weight for their age. This most recent
risk assessment takes a more precautionary approach than the
initial risk assessment conducted in 2023, which was based on
average body weight. As children's weights vary, body weight has
been converted to age to provide more practical advice for
parents and businesses.
Slush ice drinks can contain glycerol as a substitute for sugar
to prevent them from freezing solid. Businesses are advised to
only add glycerol at the minimum quantity technically
necessary to achieve the slush effect. While glycerol is found in
some other foods, it is added at much lower quantities than in
slush ice drinks. Consumed at high levels, glycerol can cause
very low blood sugar levels and unconsciousness in young
children.
The updated advice applies to ready-to-drink slush ice drinks
with glycerol in pouches and home kits containing glycerol slush
concentrates. Information on the glycerol content, or a contact
for the manufacturer for further information should be included
on the label.
