The board came to the conclusion at its meeting on 18 June, and called for the advice to be clearly communicated to parents and carers.
Officials have subsequently been directed to develop an 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,” said FSA chair Professor Susan Jebb.
“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.”
The findings of the latest FSA risk assessment on glycerol in slush ice drinks or slushies incorporated information from recent glycerol intoxication incidents and assessed the impact of one serving on children with a lower-than-average body weight for their age.
This risk assessment took 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.
When consumed at high levels, glycerol can cause very low blood sugar levels and unconsciousness in young children.
Gavin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, said that the trade body welcomed the update.
“As is standard practice, we will work with the FSA to provide industry information about its use,” Partington said.
“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.”
