Toddler âturned grey and passed outâ after drinking Slush Puppie
A two-year-old girl fell unconscious and had to be hospitalised after drinking a Slush Puppie.
Arla Agnew âturned greyâ when her blood sugars plummeted after only half a cup of the icy drink at a friendâs house on Saturday.
Her mother Carys, from Stranraer, said doctors believed this was caused by glycerol, a chemical compound used in slushy drinks as it prevent liquids from freezing solid.
The Food Standards Agency advises drinks with glycerol are not suitable for children under age four â but it is not mandatory for companies to print this on food labels.
Carys, her mother and Arla had gone to a friendâs house on Saturday. The group decided to make use of the friendâs new Slush Puppie machine from B&M.
Arla had only a small cup of the drink but Carys noticed something was wrong when the normally âhyperâ two-year-old became tired and asked to be carried home.
âHer whole face was grey,â she said. âIt was like she wasnât falling asleep â it was like she was passing out and waking up again.â
Hours later, and with no improvement in Arlaâs condition, Carys decided to take her to A&E at Galloway Community Hospital.
She began to fear for her daughterâs life when doctors could not immediately tell her what was wrong.
Tests revealed that Arlaâs blood sugar had dropped to an abnormally low level â a condition called hypoglycaemia, which has to be treated very quickly to stop it getting worse.
The family could not understand it as the toddler had eaten a number of sugary foods earlier that day.
âThey were so quick getting all the machines into her,â said Carys. âThey pricked her heel and took blood from her arms, and she did nothing, didnât flinch â thatâs when I knew something wasnât right with her.
âI was absolute having it, I couldnât stop crying. My brother and sister couldnât even look at her because of all the machines attached to her.
âThen a doctor came through said âI know what it might beâ â he said âI think itâs the Slush Puppieâ. Heâd spoken to the poison unit and found that glycerol wasnât for under fours.â
Arla had to be rushed to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, where medical staff also told the family that glycerol in the Slush Puppie was the likely cause of her condition.
They were able to treat the toddler quickly and before long she was sitting up, drinking juice and speaking to friends on Facetime.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) introduced new guidance in August last year, saying slush-ice drinks containing glycerol should not be given to children under four â though this guidance is voluntary.
It followed a risk assessment that found that children below this age could suffer headaches and sickness caused by exposure to the chemical.
If several products are drunk by a child in a short space of time, the FSA said it could cause shock, hypoglycaemia and loss of consciousness.
There have been two other cases of children being hospitalised in Scotland because of glycerol intoxication as far as the FSA is aware â one in 2021 and one in 2022.
Carysâs mother Stacey checked the packaging on the Slush Puppie and found there was no warning about the product being unsuitable for young children.
B&M said they had inspected current stock and âconfirmed that the packaging adheres to the Food Standard Agencyâs guidanceâ.
The BBC has contacted Slush Puppie for comment.
âThis just scares me,â said Carys. âThatâs why weâre speaking about it â to make sure it doesnât happen to anyone else.
âThe doctor said if it had been 20 minutes later it could have been totally different â I took that to mean she could have died.â
After spending a night in hospital, Arla is now back to her usual energetic self â though Carys is wary of allowing her to have any more slushy drinks.
She says she may use an alternative like diluting juice if Arla is around older children using the machine again.
Carys added: âSheâs hyper 24-7 â she runs about from the minute she gets up until the minute she gets to her bed.
âIâve definitely got my hands full â and Iâm glad about that.â