Parents warned against "very dangerous" sour lollies
Parents are being warned of the serious dangers of sour lollies which could burn the skin off children’s tongues.
A Perth mother shared images of her son’s tongue to social media warning parents of the impact sour lollies could have.
The post was also shared by CPR Kids, hoping it will spread awareness of sour lollies in general and the dangers it imposes to children.
“Sour candy packaging often stipulates that children under 4 shouldn’t eat the sweets and that consuming multiple lollies quickly can cause ‘temporary irritation to sensitive tongues and mouths’,” their post reads.
The Perth mum did not specify which lolly her son had eaten with CPR Kids saying popular sour lollies such as Warheads and TNT are widely available around the country.
“We understand that the labels come with warnings, but dentists say the lollies should be avoided altogether due to the acidic coating (regardless of age),” their post continued.
“CHOICE conducted lab tests on sour candy and the results are a little concerning - most sour lollies are more acidic than vinegar!”
Dental Association of Australia’s Jonathon Teoh repeated the warning to parents, asking them to be wary of what their children consume.
“Sour lollies can be very dangerous due to the high level of acid or PH which can cause chemical burns,” he said
The research conducted by CHOICE showed that the burning of tongues from sour lollies was not a national issue, but worldwide.
“A number of years ago the UK Food Standards Agency issued a warning to parents about a possible risk to children from particular sour novelty sweets after receiving reports of them causing blisters, burns and bleeding to the tongue and mouth,” they revealed.
After reaching out to a Facebook community group, CHOICE received several reports from parents after their children consumed the products.
“Within seconds my daughter started saying her tongue was stinging. As she went to touch it her skin just peeled away and she was left with a raw hole" mother Peggy said.
"Virtually straight after my daughter ate a couple of the lollies she told me her tongue felt funny. She showed me and to my horror about a 1–2mm deep layer of the surface of her tongue had come away. She had about a week or so of painful healing," Kylie, another parent said.
"[My son] went for a sleepover and after having these he ended up with massive mouth ulcers and off to the dentist!" Bec said.
"My daughter had bleeding of the tongue and at least a layer was removed," mother Jessi recalled.
CHOICE questioned whether the lollies that cause blisters, burns and bleeding to the tongue and mouth are a step too far.
They reiterated that just like any other lollies, they are not healthy.
But in reference to TNT's Mega Sour Grenade, a sour lolly which has a warning label to flush the eyes with water if they come into contact, is a “cause for concern”.
“There's currently no general safety provision under Australian Consumer Law (ACL) that companies have to comply with, and we think one is needed.”
Images: Facebook