No, You Don’t Need To Show Your ID To Buy Whipped Cream in New York
Well, this is definitely a confusing topic. Stores across New York State have been starting to enforce showing identification to buy a pretty specific item. It's a law that was brought to the Senate in 2019 prohibiting the sale of whipped cream chargers, also known as "whippits, whippets, or whip-its" to persons under the age of 21.
These canisters/cartridges are often found inside cans of whipped cream, and recently, a "misinterpretation" of the law led some grocery stores to start asking for identification when customers bought the dessert topping.
However, according to the Senator who sponsored the bill, which has since gone into law, is now acknowledging that the information is a bit misleading and is working to clarify the information that was distributed.
According to CNY Central, after the law began making headlines, Senator James Addabbo Jr. sent a statement to clear up the confusion about his intentions behind the law:
There has been a misinterpretation of the language and intent of the bill. My bill is not intended to prevent people under the age of 21 from buying whipped cream dispensers, but the small, individual charger or cartridge inside the whipped cream canisters that is the target of this law.
So, the intention of the law wasn't in fact to make sure people get carded when buying whipped cream - but more so to get the cartridges of Nitrous Oxide off the streets. It wasn't meant to have anyone who buys whipped cream need to be carded.
A representative from the New York Association of Convenience Stores said this has caused chaos, and hopes for clarification within in the law as soon as possible.
Due to communication and tracking breakdowns there has been a lot of confusion over the last week regarding the whipped cream cartridge bill. NYACS had advised our members to require ID for whipped cream can sales until we could clear up the intent of the law. Yesterday, the Senate sponsor released a statement saying the law was not meant to restrict sales of whipped cream and only applied to stand alone cartridges. After reading the Senate sponsor's statement, NYACS has no position on the law. However, we do believe the law as written needs to be clarified officially and we will work with the Legislative sponsors to make sure this happens as soon as possible.
So, do you technically need to show your ID when buying whipped cream? No. But, it's likely most places will require it until better clarification is released.