INDIANA – Procter & Gamble and the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Friday that millions of bags of Tide Pods, Gain Flings, Ace Pods, and Ariel Pods liquid laundry detergent packets are being recalled due to the potential risk of serious injury.
Approximately 8.2 million bags are affected by the recall. According to a CPSC release, the bags can split open near the zipper tracks, posing a severe risk of injury, especially for children, if the detergent packets are ingested. The detergent packets may also cause skin or eye injuries, and ingestion can cause death in people with underlying health conditions.
The recall affects Tide Pods, Gain Flings, Ace Pods, and Ariel Pods, sold in flexible film bags of 12 to 39 laundry detergent packets and manufactured between September 2023 and February 2024. All impacted bags are listed on the Procter & Gamble bag replacement and recall program site.
These Ace Pods liquid laundry detergent packets are being recalled due to a risk of serious injury.
These Gain liquid laundry detergent packets are being recalled due to a risk of serious injury.
In a statement, Procter & Gamble said, “This is a packaging issue, not a product quality or safety issue. While the product inside remains safe to use, we are voluntarily recalling a limited number of laundry pac bags and providing consumers with a replacement so they can continue safely using the product — as millions of families do, every day.”
Those with recalled products have been advised to secure the bags out of the reach and sight of young children. Affected customers can contact Procter & Gamble with a photo of the recalled bag with its lot code visible for a full refund and product replacement. According to the CPSC, customers may also request a cabinet lock for use to secure laundry products and “a free replacement child-resistant bag to store the product.”
The Procter & Gamble recall website provides additional information on refunds and replacements. The impacted lot codes can be found here.
“Since it is impossible to close the product, we recommend transferring it to a Tide PODS or Gain Flings tub with a Child Resistant Closure. If you do not have a Child Resistant Container, you may request one from our Consumer Care Team,” the company’s recall website states. “Please store the product up, closed and safe — away from children. Then … because the quality of our product is important to us, our team will provide you with a prepaid debit card for the value of your purchase price and a replacement bag and cabinet latch to keep your laundry products secure.”
According to the CPSC, Procter & Gamble has received four reports of children in the U.S. gaining access to laundry detergent packets, with three children ingesting them during the time recalled bags were sold. However, Procter & Gamble said it isn’t known if the laundry packets that were ingested came from recalled bags, and they have not confirmed any cases related to this packaging defect.
Laundry detergent pods have come under fire in the last decade for the potential health risks they may pose to children and others from ingestion, prompting doctors to warn about ingesting detergent pods and Procter & Gamble to launch a safety campaign on the subject in January 2018.
