How 50-Year-Old Fla-Vor-Ice Became an Enduring American Summertime Staple

Among the many hardships endured by children undergoing cancer treatment is nausea—and the related difficulty of finding a food they can keep down. Fortunately, young patients at the Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children, the Georgetown University Hospital and over 125 other medical centers across the country can avail themselves of a simple snack that, more often than not, seems to do the trick. The treats sit in huge freezers on the ward. They come in kid-approved flavors like grape and tropical punch. Best of all, they’re free.