Overview

• The Food Standards Agency issued an urgent warning on June 18, 2025, urging parents to keep slush ice drinks containing glycerol away from children under seven.
• Medical experts have linked high glycerol intake in slushies to dangerously low blood sugar, unconsciousness and metabolic disturbances known as glycerol intoxication syndrome.
• One recent incident involved a two-year-old girl who suffered hypoglycaemic shock and was described as being ‘20 minutes from death’ after sipping a slushy at a birthday party.
• The FSA recommended that vendors minimise glycerol levels, limit cup sizes and end free refill promotions for under-10s to reduce the risk to young drinkers.
• Several manufacturers have begun removing glycerol from their recipes, and the FSA is calling on industry to share data on glycerol content to shape further safety measures.