Zippers ... Jell-O Shots ... Parents Be Alert

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Zippers, with 12% alcohol, come in bright colors and fruity flavors and have

packaging that resembles popular gelatin snacks.

By A. , USA TODAY

Parents warned about 24-proof gelatin

By Donna Leinwand, USA TODAY

There's a new front in the fight to keep alcohol away from kids: school

lunch boxes.

A national anti-drug coalition is alerting parents about the rising

popularity of Zippers, which are packaged cups of fruity-flavored gelatin

and alcohol.

Zippers are being marketed by a small Ohio company as the first commercially

produced version of " Jell-O shots, " the sweet, chilled concoctions that have

long been a staple at beach bars and college parties.

But Zippers, with their bright colors and cheery labels, also look like the

gelatin dessert packs that thousands of youths take to school each day. And

some drug-prevention officials are hearing complaints from parents and

school administrators that Zippers could make it too easy for youths to

sneak alcohol into school.

" Zippers may be dangerous because they come packaged in containers that look

like any other snack pack or after-school snack a child may put in their

lunch box, " the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America said in an alert

last week. The coalition added that " Zippers are being marketed in ways that

appeal to an underage audience. "

Burt rejects the notion that the Toledo, Ohio, company that he

started with several friends is marketing its products to kids. Zippers, he

says, are aimed at the adult group that is most likely to enjoy sweet,

alcoholic drinks: 24- to 44-year-old women who like " entertaining, nights

out with friends (and) fun with no regrets. "

also notes that Zippers' packaging is clearly marked with a

government alcohol warning and a picture of a baby with a red slash through

it, indicating that the product isn't for kids.

" We went above and beyond what the states and federal government require, "

says. His 4-year-old company, BPNC, projects $2 million in sales this

year.

" If you leave a rum and Coke on your table, a kid will drink that and

mistake it for a Coke just like they might mistake our product for (regular)

Jell-O, " he says. " You have to supervise your children. "

Zippers, which unlike regular gelatin snack packs require refrigeration, are

sold in bars, liquor stores and groceries in 26 states. There is a

cherry-flavored version called Rum Rush, a bourbon-and-lime one known as

Whiskey Drop, an orange one called Vodka Splash and a lemon one with grain

spirits called Tijuana Tease.

Eight-packs retail for $6.99 to $9.99, depending on the market and local

taxes. Each gelatin cup contains 12% alcohol and has about the same potency

as a glass of wine.

Hope Taft, the wife of Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, is among those speaking out

against Zippers. She says parents in her state have been calling a

drug-prevention resource center in Cincinnati about Zippers. " Products like

these and wine coolers ... cause us great concern because they are very

appealing to young people, " says Taft, the mother of a college senior. " They

all have colorful, creative labeling and catchy names. The packaging is sort

of disguised. "

Lily Heil, 12, a seventh-grade student from McLean, Va., agrees that kids at

school could easily pass off Zippers as regular gelatin snack packs.

" Once you rip off the lid that says it has alcohol, " she says, " it looks

just like Jell-O. "

Meanwhile, Zippers seem to be a hit among some bar owners.

" I have five people at least on a busy night doing nothing but selling these

things, " says Gingi Bakri, who owns Cotton Eyed Joes, a 30,000 square-foot

country music bar in Knoxville, Tenn. He says he sells about 10,000 Zippers

a month at his bar for $2 or $3 each.

" The profit margin on these things is unbelievable, " says Bakri, who buys

Zippers wholesale. " You get a good-looking girl or guy selling these things,

and everyone wants to try it. "