FSA increases minimum age on slush drinks sales

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have advised that slush ice drinks containing glycerol should not be sold to children aged under seven.

This raises the minimum age by three years, from four years old, which was the threshold recommended in previous guidance in August 2023.

The latest voluntary guidance is intended to reduce the risk to children, after the FSA looked at 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.

The most recent risk assessment takes a more precautionary approach than the initial one 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 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 FSA and FSS are continuing to advise that free refill promotions should not be offered to children under 10 years to prevent them from being exposed to excessive amounts of glycerol.

Head of science at FSS, Jacqui McElhiney, said: “This update reflects our ongoing commitment to protecting consumers through the best available science and evidence. 

“The updated risk assessment highlights that younger children, particularly those with lower body weight, are more vulnerable to the effects of glycerol. We’re advising that these drinks should not be consumed by children under seven to minimise the risk of harm. 

“Parents, carers and businesses all play an important role in helping to ensure that slush ice drinks are consumed safely.”

FSA chair professor Susan Jebb added: “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.”

Responding to the latest guidance, Gavin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, said: “We welcome this updated advice from the FSA on the consumption of slush ice drinks containing glycerol. As is standard practice, we will work with the FSA to provide Industry information about its use.

“It’s worth noting that glycerol is authorised as an additive for use in the UK and Europe and has been used for many years by manufacturers of ‘slush’ ice drinks as a replacement for sugar in order to stop the product from freezing. Our members abide by all relevant and current ingredient legislation, including on glycerol. We support the FSA’s efforts to ensure parents have the right information to safeguard their children.”