Millions of bags of Tide Pods, Gain Flings, Ace Pods and Ariel Pods liquid laundry detergent packets are being recalled in the United States and Canada. Procter & Gamble issued the recall of approximately 8.2 million bags of the laundry detergent pods on April 5 due to faulty packaging, which poses the risk of series injury and possible accidental ingestion by young children.
According to a notice shared by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the outer packaging meant to prevent access to the contents can split open near the zipper track.” If ingested, the pods pose a risk of serious injury to children and other vulnerable populations, with the CPSC noting that “ingestion of a large quantity of any surfactant-containing household cleaning products can cause death among individuals with underlying health issues.” The faulty child-resistant packaging also poses a risk of skin or eye injuries.
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While CPSC said there have been no confirmed cases of injury directly relating to this packaging defect, there have been four reports of children in the U.S. accessing the liquid laundry packets. Of those reports, there were three reports of ingestion during the time period when the recalled lots were sold. It is unclear if the laundry packets came from recalled bags.
The recall affects approximately 8.2 million bags of Tide, Gain Flings, Ace and Ariel liquid laundry detergent pod packets that were sold in bags ranging from 12 to 39 laundry detergent packets. The packets were packaged in flexible film bags that were manufactured between September 2023 and February 2024. The products were sold at Big Lots, CVS, Family Dollar, Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Target, Walmart, and other major stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com and other websites from September 2023 through present for between $5 (one 12 ct. bag) and $30 (four 39 ct. bags in a box). The complete list of can be found here, with a list of affected lot codes available here.
CPSC urged consumers who purchased the recalled pods to “immediately secure the recalled bags out of sight and reach of children.” Consumers can contact Procter & Gamble for a full refund and a free replacement child-resistant bag to store the product. Consumers are also eligible to receive a cabinet lock for securing laundry materials.
