It said that children under ten may experience headaches, nausea and vomiting, and on rare occasions it could potentially lead to severe symptoms such as shock, low blood sugar and loss of consciousness.
It said that glycerol gives ice drinks a slushy effect and whilst it is generally not harmful, there are concerns about its effects on children aged ten years and under when used at high levels in slush ice drinks.
Glycerol is an EU approved additive and is used to lower the sugar content of drinks. Slush ice drinks are sold via ice machines in a variety of outlets, as syrup concentrates to be made-up at home, as pre-packaged drinks in supermarkets/retail stores and are also available to buy online.
The FSAI has also updated its voluntary guidelines for the industry. These guidelines require the industry to only use a safe quantity of glycerol when making slush ice drink concentrates. Manufacturers of prepackaged slush ice drinks and make-at-home syrup concentrates containing glycerol should carry a warning on the pack in keeping with the FSAI advice. Retailers selling unpackaged slush ice drinks containing glycerol should display permanent point-of-sale warnings stating: “this product contains glycerol and is not recommended for children aged ten and under”.
Commenting today, Mr Greg Dempsey, Chief Executive, FSAI, states that this updated advice is due to the conclusion of a new risk assessment by EFSA.
“Our advice to consumers is always based on the most up-to-date scientific data available. The recent risk assessment by EFSA has led to us reassessing our advice and we are now advising that all children aged ten and under should not be consuming these slush ice drinks that contain glycerol. The Department of Health’s Healthy Eating Guidelines has placed slush ice drinks on the top shelf of the healthy eating food pyramid, meaning that they are not part of a healthy balanced diet. For the rest of the population these slush drinks should therefore be limited and only consumed in moderation as a treat. Consumption of glycerol containing slush ice drinks by children aged ten and under could cause headaches, nausea and vomiting. On rare occasions, it could potentially lead to severe symptoms such as shock, hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) and loss of consciousness,” he said.
The FSAI previously raised this issue with the European Commission and other Member States which has led to the current EFSA risk assessment. The FSAI continues to support change to the current food additive legislation, but this will have to be agreed at European level.