Tide Pods Are Not Food, But People Are Eating Them Anyway

tide pods dreamstime
Holly Van Hare|

If someone on the internet told you to drink bleach, would you do it? Of course not — but when people are told to eat the detergent-filled Pods sold by Tide, they're munching away. Twitter is all soaped up with conversation about eating Tide Pods, simply because they look similar to snack bites.

 

The trend has been part of ludicrous internet conversation for some time, littering Twitter conversation and other circuits with jokes. A hilarious piece by The Onion in 2015 mocked the temptation from the point of view of a child drooling over any miscellaneous object that looks remotely like food. Two years later, the satirical site followed up with another review marveling at imagined sour apple flavored pods.

Other internet comedies, such as this College Humor video, have popped up sporadically to pay tribute to the trend.

People can't help but fantasize about popping pods in their mouths for a cute bite to eat. The shape and size of the pods allegedly make them too tempting to resist. And apparently, the trend has surged with newfound sincerity this winter.

But be aware: Tide Pods are not snack items, nor should they be put anywhere near your mouth. The logic "if it looks like a dumpling, it must be a dumpling" is complete nonsense.

Here's what eating a Tide Pod can really do to your body.

According to one study, ingesting Tide Pods' detergent could cause a swallowing dysfunction that could require surgery to repair. One child who unknowingly consumed the chemical actually died.

"Vincent van Gogh used to eat Tide pods because he wanted happiness inside him," said @elkalumpy on Twitter. But what any curious consumer would actually get is complete and utter disaster. Do not consume Tide Pods.

The Daily Meal has reached out to Procter & Gamble Co., the company behind Tide Pods, for comment. But we have a feeling we know what they'd say. This is one of the dumbest food trends of 2017 — and with these idiotic competitors, that's really saying something.

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