Why TUMS for Kids Has to Go!

July 7, 2008

Are we that out of control that TUMS has thought it prudent to develop a new product designed for kids ages 2-11?

I found this product as I was strolling through a Duane Reade drug store yesterday on the Upper West Side of New York City. For those of you who are not familiar with the area, it's one of the prettiest parts of Manhattan nestled between Central Park and the Hudson River with lots of trees, brownstones and angst ridden parents. Which is why finding this new product on the shelves wasn't surprising – but is quite disturbing ...

Can you imagine a 2 year old suffering from heartburn?
Frankly, I find it hard to. Of course, I am assuming that the child's parents actually care about what they feed them and that their diet consists of a bit more than French fries with ketchup or a fast food cheeseburger.

Heartburn is basically the regurgitation of gastric acid. And while for some, it could be a symptom of a much more serious problem, most people (and a group presumably now that includes kids) have the problem because of the foods they eat. Could be foods that are too spicy ... or too laden with fat ... or just from eating too much ...

These days its difficult to watch a program on prime time television which isn't sandwiched between commercials hawking prescription medication for relief of heartburn; so why am I so surprised and annoyed about this opportunistic new product?
Our bodies are one of the most efficient "machines" ever created. When we have heartburn our system is telling us that we are doing something wrong – and we need to listen. These days most of our kids have little idea where our foods come from, what a farm looks like, and now we are at risk of teaching them to ignore the internal warnings that our mind and body give us.

I know what the good folks at GlaxoSmithKline are going to tell me – that TUMS for kids is also designed to be a calcium supplement. And since so many kids do not get enough calcium this product will prevent decades of pain from osteoporosis. Of course, I'll just tell them that as the grandson of a dairy farmer my suggestion is that parents just give their kids enough milk and other dairy products. To which they might respond, "But TUMS for kids is naturally and artificially flavored as "Cherry Blast", so they will like it better!

By the way, TUMS for Kids ages 2-11 contains 750 mg of calcium carbonate per tablet. Which has me scratching my head a bit. On the package for regular strength (adult) TUMS there is a warning to "keep out of reach of children" ... and that product only contains 500 mg of calcium carbonate per tablet.
Now that should give you heartburn!

Posted on Tuesday 7/8 by laura
No, sadly it is very real. I saw it myself a week or so ago and had the same reaction. Sad. Thank goodness we have this site to protect us and give us a voice to this strange food world we live in.

Posted on Monday 7/7 by bob
I went ... I saw ... and I'm horrified. Phil - on this one I agree with you 100% Good for you!

Posted on Monday 7/7 by bob
What is this a joke? I'm heading out to the store to check for myself. If this is real I agree with Phil.

This discussion has been closed!

FREE WEEKLY NEWSFLASH: To register for SupermarketGuru's weekly updates by email, click here.