ANY parent will know that their kids love a slushie drink.
Head to a soft play, arcade, bowling alley or shopping centre and the brightly coloured, swirling, frozen treats are on display, acting like a beacon to youngsters.
But it could come as a shock to many mums and dads that these drinks can be toxic, as Victoria Anderson found out to her horror.
Food Standard Scotland’s Head of Incidents Stuart McAdam said he first became aware of the dangers of the drinks a couple of years back – and the agency has since kicked into gear in a bid to warn Scots.
He said: “We were initially aware of a case back in August 2022 when a child had become ill and because of that a risk assessment was carried out by the Food Standards Agency, supported by ourselves.
“That found children below the age of 10 may suffer from headaches and sickness caused by exposure to glycerol, which is the ingredient found within slush drinks which maintains the consistency and prevents them from becoming fully frozen and in a solid state.”
Glycerol is an authorised food additive, generally used in flavoured drinks.
In small doses, it’s not harmful but it can have worrying effects in larger amounts and in very young kids.
At very high levels of exposure, glycerol intoxication can even cause shock, hypoglycaemia and loss of consciousness in kids.
Stuart said: “It’s the glycerol itself that can have an effect on young children and that’s why we issued advice, which is new voluntary industry guidance, on glycerol and slush drinks.
“It advises that they shouldn’t be sold to children four years of age or under and also advises retailers that they shouldn’t offer free refill promotions to under 10s, so children aren’t exposed to excessive amounts of glycerol.”
The guidelines say that business bosses have to make sure their customers are fully aware of the risks of glycerol and they must use the minimum quantity necessary to achieve the required ‘slush’ drink effect. This is on top of warning parents about the age recommendations. But this is not a legal requirement – rather it’s considered ‘best practice’.
As well as the guidance to businesses, Food Standards Scotland experts have got the country’s councils on board to help bolster the message.
Stuart said: “There was voluntary guidance put out to industry but we supported that by writing to local authorities asking them to visit premises that sell slush drinks to ensure that they are aware of the guidance and have appropriate warning signs to alert the public.
“We’re also looking at how to reach parents and looking at some additional advertisements to further inform.”
Mum Victoria was one of those parents unaware of the dangers posed to young kids when son Angus, three, had his first ever slush drink earlier this month.
He went ‘limp and stone cold’ in her arms minutes after enjoying the treat and ended up being blue-lighted to hospital where he remained unconscious for two hours, before recovering.
While cases are rare, Stuart said the age of kids likely to be at risk means they take the hazard extremely seriously.
He said: “It’s not a frequent issue but given the age of children involved and the risk of hospitalisation, it’s one we want to try to prevent as best we can.
“We don’t to scare parents but it’s just about being careful around the risks particularly for those four years or under and considered at greater risk.
“Above the age of four, kids are considered unlikely to be at risk from glycerol from one slush drink because the effects are related to body weight so the heavier the child, the less they are at risk.
“But we’re also advising parents and industry to avoid excessive amounts, so that’s why children under 10 shouldn’t be using the free refill promotion.”
WHAT TO AVOID
OTHER risky food for kids include:
SMOKED FISH
Ready to eat smoked fish can carry the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. This can be harmful for vulnerable people, such as kids under the age of one. Those affected by the bacteria can suffer symptoms of gastroenteritis, such as diarrhoea, fever and headache.
POPCORN
While most kids love a trip to the cinema, getting popcorn for a movie treat is a no go. The advice is that youngsters under four should not be given the snack. With its sharp edges and hard kernels, popcorn can get caught in the throat causing gagging or choking.
HONEY
Kids under 12 months should not have the sweet stuff as it can cause serious food poisoning called botulism. Affected babies may have a weak cry, find it difficult to feed and have a floppy head and limbs. The body develops defences against it from about the age of one.
