like was mentioned up thread apple seeds have arsenic in them

 

everything has a scarey scientific name--everything is a chemical

 

titanium dioxide is just white food color right?

(that can be a nasty allergen to some)

 

i'm not saying i personally knowingly add azodicarbonamide to my cakes

 

i'm just saying at least they are telling you it's in there

 

from Tennessee OSHA Hazmat training:

 

Basic Nature of Chemicals

• Everything is (a) chemical
• Every chemical can be "hazardous"
• "Hazardous" means there is scientific evidence that the chemical causes harmful effects during normal use
• Harmful effects range from irritation to cancer

 

 

Paracelsus, 1493-1541

"All substances are poisons, there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates the poison from the remedy."

A

So. Am I making a little photo collage with a jar of disco dust and strippers to make the point once and for all, or are you? :D

 Regarding the McRib: barbecued ribs don't appeal to me in the first place, so the sandwich has exactly zero appeal to me, but it seems no more harmful than, say, sausage, or various cured and/or pickled meats, or various meat loaves (from a fast-food gyro loaf to my own turkey-loaf), or Spam.

 

But deliberately contaminating food with plastic glitter is the most preposetrous idea I've ever heard of.

A

I now have my project for this evening!

AI'd rather chug a jar of disco dust than eat a McRib, so I don't know if that's as persuasive an argument as it was intended to be.

The site that I copied does use a more natural stance, I was just using that to bring into the conversation that we eat plastic/foam in some foods without realizing even though it was approved.
You can find those ingredients on the McDonalds web site if you want to use another source and there are many of them out there.  I was just proving a point that not everyone is aware of what they are eating even though it came from a business that serves the public..
 

A

Are you saying the McRib contains plastic or foam?

Ahttp://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/product_nutrition.sandwiches.292.McRib-.html

Go here and then click nutrition. It contains every ingredient for every component of the McRib. I would rather eat that then go chew on some plastic.

Wow.  Ok.  DD is a DECORATIVE DECORATION meant to DECORATE things DECORATIVELY (is that a word? ;)).  No one is adding it as a secret ingredient, fooling people into consuming mass quantities of plastic.  Heaven forbid you should worry about something real.

A

Unfortunately DD is not obviously non-edible (like, for example, a plastic figurine) and it cannot easily be distinguished from other forms of edible glitter. The burden is on the cake decorator to refrain from using DD on any part of the cake that will not be removed before serving.

AOh my, if it,s plastic and you know that, then tell the client., or don't use it. Why all the debate about it?

Some of what has been published in the UK, specifically, states that the reason disco dust (actually they didn't mention a brand) has been labeled 'non toxic; is because they haven't yet determined definitively whether it is safe to consume or not, so approval (or not) is pending as it is in the States.

This isn't a question of being professional it's a matter of being aware of statutes, recommendations and the laws as they stand in your region/state or country. What is acceptable in your state etc may not be in another.
Bitter almonds is one example. They contain cyanide and some countries and states have banned their sale. The cyanide can be made inert through cooking, but the risk is there. Cyanide is found naturally in apple seeds, apricot kernels and cherry pips - they can pass through the body without effect IF their outer coating hasn't been broken so the body's enzymes can get to it.
Satin ribbon is banned in some States of the US because it's not a food product and isn't passed to be in contact with food.
GM foods are also banned in some countries.
Some food colours are banned in Europe and not in other countries - Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, and Red 3 are associated with behavious disorders in children http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Business/Pressure-mounts-for-removal-of-artificial-colors
PVC and pthalates are a concern in the US and Europe, but manufacturing processes in Australia and New Zealand don't use pthalates in their products.

 

If you consider yourself a professional baker or decorator or sell your products to the public, you have a duty of care to keep up to date with food laws and practices for your region/state or country. As you can see from the above examples, not all laws about food transcend all borders.

Jeeeezzz!! I'm sitting here reading these comments and just laughing my butt off!! Seriously, I never really gave a thought as to how many ways a slice a of cake could kill someone. I used to come to CC to get/give advice and look at some of the cool cake pics but now I just come on here to laugh. CakesDecor folks haven't gotten their panties in a wad over world-changing events like using disco-dust.....yet!

someone mentioned onus upthread and i think cake suppliers and supply stores should own some onus

 

as should we all--but dang what'd they ever stock it like that for

 

same for the dang florist foil 

 

i still use ff ocassionally but i put the cake on a separate board

 

might as well sell freaking lead cake pans

 

oh no no no--they're not for you to bake in just for you to buy...in quantity

AYou know that horrible hacking cough you get when you laugh too much?!? Well.....I've got that from reading some of these responses (especially the "I'd rather eat DD than a McRib" one!). I understand that this thread was suppose to come off as a serious response to a serious problem but I think I might have peed a little.......

A

Yet is right. It just hasn't been around long enough.

If you want to see what people getting their panties in a wad REALLY looks like, go read any comments on any yahoo news article. This is nursery school in comparison.

A

You're right, these comments are nothing compare to the yahoo one's. Sometimes I skip the entire news article just to read the comments!

AI'm glad you've posted this and added the letter. But unfortunately, most will. However, I do agree with someone else that all counties in every state should add this to the cottage food law list of No, No's. I'll be forwarding this on on my FB too, thanks!

I would also prefer to eat dd rather than a McRib. That is some really nasty stuff! And I have never seen it written here (may have to look up a thread) tha the floral foil isn't approved, but I always suspected there is something not right about slapping your cake directly on it. The color leaches into a cake, and easily wipes off onto a towel, or your finger. I use it, but I ALWAYS put a board under my cake. The place I used to work still uses it directly under cake. 

AI would rather not eat a McRib or DD and hope I never am forced to pick! Lol. I can see why people don't mind eating either MCRibs or DD, but I would not want to eat either.

At least with a McRib the average person is on notice that what they're eating is highly processed (as ribless ribs do not naturally occur in nature) and unhealthy (because its fast food). I did not know DD was plastic and I bake and decorate cakes. I don't expect the average person to know this. I suspect that the average person would think that the DD was in the same edible category as sprinkles or jimmies, and not in the inedible category of things you'd find on a cake, like cake wire, which an average person would not knowingly bite into.

GSA sells FDA approved florist foil, which is what I use, but who knows. I guess we can just try to make things as safe as possible but there are no guarantees. That said, if I ever used DD on the edible parts of cake, I'd put a warning sign next to the cake. It's okay for me to make the informed choice to ingest DD but I don't think it's fair to make that choice for every person who eats a slice. **Actually, thinking about this further, the sign might be removed, so I do not think I would ever put DD on the edible portion of a cake.

This thread is on the Featured Content section of the homepage.

for what it's worth and for possibly any newbies and while we're sort of on that subject

 

wrapping paper is also a big no no

 

it is printed with inks not meant to ingest of course

 

like printing icing sheets in regular ink printers

 

just a further thought

 

they sure are pretty and add a lot of pizzazz but yeah no

 

not for safety's sake

 

which leads me to this thought

 

be safe your self, cakers

 

wear goggles and simple face mask for airbrushing and dusting

 

when mixing confectioner's sugar icing and adding flour to the mixer when the dust cloud rises

 

don't breath that

 

and watch it when you spray the grease-the-pan sprays

 

don't breath that either

 

srsly

 

you only get the one pair of lungs

 

for the most part

 

♥♥♥

I just had a young mother come into my bakery asking about a glittery cake for her baby's upcoming 1st birthday.

 

My first thought was, "Alright, who put you up to this?"  But as we discussed the theme of the party (which is pink and purple and glitter LOL), it turns out that she's seen pictures of glittery cakes.

 

I briefly explained that certain kinds of glitter are sold to cake decorators who use it on cakes, but most of them are unaware that it is just regular craft-store glitter.  She thought that was pretty gross.

 

She was much more in love with the idea of having glittered removable elements on the cake after I told her I could do that but she'd have to sign the order form stating that x, x, and x were to be removed from the cake before serving.  Of course, she was totally agreeable with that.

 

------

 

Too bad my husband doesn't do x-rays and CAT scans anymore.  I wonder if metallic DD makes guts all glittery on x-ray.  That'd make the radiologist go, "WTH?!?"

Cakepro - I don't know what the cake decorating glitter is like in the USA, but the stuff here is actually plastic, not metal. Its still not edible, but it doesn't feel grainy like regular glitter, which makes it presumably easier to ingest!!

ADip your dang finger in the pot and stick in your mouth. Grind the little pieces with your front teeth. That should clear things up for those still in doubt.

AT

That just made my teeth scream.