Emma Shafqat says most foods are ok for children in moderation – but one should always be avoided
Paediatric dietitian Emma Shafqat says that she has a relaxed attitude to junk food with her daughter Olivia, but says there is one food she would never let her eat – because it can cause everything from nausea to hypoglycemia. Emma told i she allows her eight-year-old daughter to eat junk food ’20 per cent of the time’.
And that includes things such as chocolate, pizza, processed meat, fizzy drinks and sweets. But, she says, she would never allow her to have a slushie.
Emma said: “I generally follow the 80/20 rule: 80 per cent of the time, Olivia eats a balanced, nutritious diet, and the other 20 per cent allows for less nutritionally dense foods.”
She added: “I like to let Olivia enjoy everything she likes in moderation, however, I wouldn’t let her have slushy drinks containing the food additive glycerol (E422). High consumption of this additive can lead to side effects such as headaches, nausea, and in rare cases, more severe symptoms like shock and hypoglycaemia.”
Children under four should not be given slush-style drinks according to Food Standards experts. There are concerns about the risk of intoxication from glycerol, a liquid which prevents the drink from freezing solid and maintains its “slush” properties.
Food Standards Agency Head of Additives, Adam Hardgrave, said: “While the symptoms of glycerol intoxication are usually mild, it is important that parents are aware of the risks – particularly at high levels of consumption. It is likely that there is under-reporting of glycerol intoxication, as parents may attribute nausea and headaches to other factors.
“We are grateful to those manufacturers who have already taken steps to reduce levels of glycerol, and to those who have already told us they will be adopting our new guidelines.”
Slush ice drinks can contain glycerol as a substitute for sugar to create the slush effect. The FSA’s guidance asks businesses to only add glycerol at the minimum quantity technically necessary to achieve this effect.
While glycerol is found in some other foods, it is added at much lower quantities than in slush ice drinks.
The FSA’s risk assessment considered a worst-case exposure scenario in which a child consumed a 350 ml slush drink containing the highest level of glycerol used (50,000 mg/L) and compared this to a threshold above which adverse effects could occur. Children aged 4 or below would exceed this threshold.
Those above the age of four are considered unlikely to suffer ill effects from drinking one slush drink. This is because the effects of glycerol are related to body weight.
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is aware of two cases in recent years where children were admitted to hospital because of glycerol intoxication. If several slushies are drunk in a short space of time, it can cause shock, hypoglycaemia and loss of consciousness in children.
Stephen Hendry, head of standards at FSS, said: “While risk assessment work shows that symptoms of glycerol intoxication are usually mild, it is important that parents are aware of the risks – particularly at high levels of consumption. We are grateful to those manufacturers who have already taken steps to reduce levels of glycerol, and to those who have already told us they will be adopting our new guidelines.”