A mum has called for a ban on selling slushies to children after her toddler ‘collapsed and began fitting’ shortly after after gulping the ‘toxic’ iced drink.
Victoria Anderson was out shopping on January 4 with two of her five children when the nightmare unfolded.
Her youngest son, three-year-old Angus, had requested a raspberry-flavoured drink from the local corner shop.
Victoria complied, only for something horrific to unfold.
Approximately 30 minutes later, Angus unexpectedly fell unconscious in another store, leaving Victoria fearing for his life.
The mum-of-five, who lives in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, said little Angus’ body went ‘limp and stone cold’ as paramedics began working on the toddler.
After rushing to hospital, staff told Victoria that the slushy had caused glycerol toxicity – which left Angus in a ‘drunk-like’ state.
The Food Standard Agency (FSA) issued new voluntary industry guidance on glycerol in slush-ice drinks in August 2023, advising that they should not be sold to children four years of age and under.
At very high levels of exposure, glycerol intoxication can cause shock, hypoglycaemia and loss of consciousness, according to the government body.
Victoria is now sharing her story a warning to other parents.
Victoria said: “Angus had never had a slushy before. This was his first time. His brothers had had them in summer as a treat before.
“After drinking the slushy, we went into another shop and Angus kept saying he wanted to go home. He moaned again and I said ‘we’re going home now, just another couple of minutes’.
“We walked around the shop a bit more and as I turned around I could hear him moaning again.
“I thought he’d thrown himself on the floor having a temper tantrum, but when I looked his eyes were at the back of his head and he was having a seizure. He went limp as anything.
“I started screaming ‘somebody get me an ambulance’. I thought I’d lost him. His body went stone cold.”
Paramedics rushed into the store and said Angus’ blood sugar levels were dangerously low and the tot was quickly bluelighted to Glasgow Children’s Hospital.
There, Angus was unconscious for two hours while doctors undertook tests to determine the cause of his episode.
Victoria said: “He was unconscious for about two hours. It was the scariest thing I’d ever experienced. He was well that day – there was nothing obviously wrong with him. There’s nothing like this in the family.
“I was scared he would die, considering the way he went down and how limp he was and how unresponsive he was. They gave him a jab in the leg and he wasn’t even flinching.
“When he woke up, he was still going in and out of consciousness. I think he was exhausted too.
“They’d asked what he’d eaten and drank that day and I told them about the slushy. The doctors said the slushy had caused glycerol toxicity. His blood sugars went very low.
“It’s not something I’d ever heard of before. There was definitely a link to the slushy.”
In the aftermath of the nightmarish experience, Victoria is now calling for a ban on slushies to be served to children.
Victoria said: “I think slushies should be banned altogether or at the very least there needs to be a warning sign for under-4s. But this could potentially happen to any kid of any age.
“I’ll never buy slushies again. You just don’t know what’s in these drinks. I just want to make as many mums aware as possible what can happen buying these drinks.”
