In the wake of the rash of recent poisonings from the brightly colored bite-sized packages of Tide Laundry Detergent Pods, the country’s third largest confectioner, Traver Food Group, plans to capitalize on the gel laundry detergent’s appeal to young children.
Tide and other manufacturers with similar product have been scrambling to rethink the packaging and design of their laundry and dish-washing detergents as children have been poisoning themselves by eating them. There have been several instances of sickness since Tide Pods were launched in February.
Tide Pods
The packets cut down on mess and spills, but the American Association of Poison Control Centers reports they have received many calls after kids have eaten them and become violently ill.
“Children like the bright colors and squishy feel of the packets so they’re eating them and getting very sick,” Sally Craig, director of drug information at the New York Poison Center, told Skew News.
The National poison control center reported that it first started to connect children’s poisoning with the Tide Pods in early May, after there were close to 200 calls that month reporting severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Tide plans to have new safety packaging in place by this summer that should prevent children from eating the packets.
According to Peter Madison, Traver Food Group’s head of product development, his company’s candy version of the toxic Tide Pods will provide a safe alternative to eating laundry detergent. Madison also said the Traver version would be in similar packaging to Tide Laundry Detergent Pods because, “the children seemed to find it easy to open and attractive.” But he added, “of course these will be filled with sugary liquid gel and be perfectly safe.”
The new confection has not yet been named, but should be available nationwide by August.
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