You have to be 21 to purchase alcohol… and now, whipped cream?

A picture of the dessert refrigerator at ShopRite across from North End, with no whipped cream restriction sign in sight. Source: Emma Stuber, The Marist Circle

According to a new law passed by New York State in 2021, the aerosol chargers used to make whipped cream now pose a risk to the teenage drug scene. This form of inhalant, known as whippets, is slowly rising in numbers among New York City neighborhoods, and the discarded canisters litter the streets. However, it seems as though store owners interpreted this crisis differently. 

The 2021 law, that went into action last November, has not come into talks until recently, when signs on dessert refrigerator doors began to pop up. While the original law only specified restrictions on the canisters themselves, some grocery stores around the state saw it as a call to restrict whipped cream entirely. Many people’s ice cream could suffer with this great hit, afflicted with the barren absence of this delicious topping. How could they get away with this? 

A lot of people have shared their opinions on this, ranging from students, to social media users and even lawmakers. New York Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., who had a hand in creating the bill, told The New York Times, “We did not ban the sale of whipped cream, let’s be reasonable. Why would we do that?” Who knows, Senator Addabbo; at this point, anything could be believable. Twitter user @luvvy55 shared their thoughts as well. “I’m from NY, and they just passed a law that minors can’t buy aerosol whipped cream anymore. I’m 67 years old and laughed my butt off.” We’re not laughing, luvvy55. This is a serious issue. 

A written sign on a grocery store refrigerator in Menands, NY, notifying shoppers that whipped cream will not be sold to anyone under 21. Source: WNYT (New York Television, NewsChannel 13)

In true journalist fashion, I had to test the waters. Would a cashier really take the time to stop me in the checkout line over a can of whipped cream? I ventured over to ShopRite, the grocery store directly off-campus, to see if I would be restricted from purchasing whipped cream. The dairy refrigerator itself had no signage about an age restriction stuck to it, unlike some stores have reported posting. With such panic bubbling over the law, I half expected there to be a lock on the refrigerator handle too. 

After bringing my Reddi-Wip and items over to the cashier, I received a funny look. I truly thought this would be the moment where I would be interrogated about the whipped cream, but instead the ShopRite worker and I had a conversation about the law. We discussed if the store might consider putting the whipped cream age restriction into action, to which he replied, “I’m not sure… If it ever becomes a real serious issue, then ShopRite might.” 

So fear not, whipped cream will still be available for your every need and desire.