Press reports indicate that nearly 250 people have called poison control centers in the last couple of months following the U.S. launch of Tide Pods, a Procter & Gamble product, and similar products. Young children are apparently mistaking the colorful laundry detergent packets for candy. Intended to take the guesswork and mess out of doing the laundry, these individual dose pouches quickly dissolve in the wash, but can also do so in a child’s mouth.
Tide Pods may be especially appealing to children because this product is sold in a clear plastic tub, something that can look very much like a container of candy to a child. This “changemaker” type of package has long been a fixture in the candy industry as it enables consumers (especially kids) to buy candies, one piece at a time. Aware that confusion may exist, Procter & Gamble has announced that it will be packaging Tide Pods in more child-resistant containers this summer.
