The food safety watchdog has warned ice-cold slushies should not be given to young children as one of the key ingredients may cause side effects including a loss of consciousness in the most extreme cases.The warning from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) was issued on Tuesday in response to a new risk assessment published by its European counterpart.It cautions against giving children aged 10 and under glycerol-containing slush ice drinks due to potential side effects, which also include headaches and nausea, as well as severe symptoms such as shock, hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) and loss of consciousness in severe cases.Glycerol is an EU-approved additive and is typically used in the context of food reformulation to lower the sugar content of drinks. It also gives ice drinks a slushy effect and while it is generally not harmful, there are concerns about its effects on young children when used at high levels. The slush ice drinks impacted by the new advisory are typically sold via machines in multiple outlets around the country but can also be sold as syrup concentrates to be made up at home and as pre-packaged drinks in supermarkets.The FSAI has updated its voluntary guidelines for the industry, which require the industry to only use a safe quantity of glycerol when making slush ice drink concentrates. Manufacturers of pre-packaged slush ice drinks and make-at-home syrup concentrates containing glycerol should carry a warning on the pack in keeping with the FSAI advice. Retailers selling unpackaged slush ice drinks containing glycerol should display permanent point-of-sale warnings stating: “This product contains glycerol and is not recommended for children aged ten and under”.“Our advice to consumers is always based on the most up-to-date scientific data available,” said the FSAI’s chief executive Greg Dempsey. “The recent risk assessment by EFSA has led to us reassessing our advice and we are now advising that all children aged ten and under should not be consuming these slush ice drinks that contain glycerol.”He added the Department of Health’s Healthy Eating Guidelines has placed slush ice drinks ”on the top shelf of the healthy eating food pyramid, meaning that they are not part of a healthy balanced diet” and said, for the broader population they should be “limited and only consumed in moderation as a treat”.The FSAI previously raised this issue with the European Commission and other member states which has led to the current EFSA risk assessment, Dempsey said, adding the FSAI “continues to support change to the current food additive legislation, but this will have to be agreed at European level”.