New Jersey To Ban High-Capacity Tide Pod Containers

TRENTON – March 16, 2018 – New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, announced today that he would sign legislation lowering the number of Tide Pods a container can hold in the state.

“As our children continue to eat Tide Pods, we must take action to protect them. There simply is no reason that anyone needs a container that holds more than 10 pods; how many loads of laundry can one person do in one day?” said the Governor.

(Left) A soon to be prohibited high-capacity Tide Pod container

(Right) Tide Pods

The new legislation prohibits the sale of any container containing more than 10 of the laundry-detergent contained "pods," and makes it a felony for anyone to possess such a “danger and threat to New Jersey’s children.” Once Murphy signs the bill, prior owners of the newly-prohibited containers will have 30 days to surrender them at their local police stations, or face up to 3 years in prison.

The National Tide Pod Association criticized the move. It’s Chairman, Wayne LaTide, stated “There is no evidence whatsoever that banning high-capacity Tide Pod containers will save any lives. People who want to eat Tide Pods should not be given any Pods, not even one, and people who use them for laundry pose no risk to anyone even when armed with containers of 20, 30, or even 57 pods.”

Assemblyman Lou Greenwald (D), who sponsored the legislation that Murphy intends to sign, says that the high-capacity ban will save lives.

"Our nation is in the midst of a Tide Pod eating epidemic,” the assemblyman said in a statement. “Now, as we enter a new term with a new governor, we have a real chance to pursue legislation to reduce the number of deaths and injuries by Tide Pod consumption and protect our children and neighborhoods."

Similar legislation was brought to the state Congress years ago, but former Governor Chris Christie vetoed the measure. Greenwald first introduced the new bill after meeting with families whose children had been hospitalized after consuming Tide Pods, although political rivals claim that his concern actually began after he himself ate a Pod and suffered severe stomach pain as a result.