squirrelly cakes put up a letter from the company that said that they are not food safe . I thought someone might need to know this. I haven't used them but I was going to.

Good to know! Thanks

OK, no FLAMES

I'm not starting an argument, I'm stating an opinion that I feel is valid and I don't want to fight about it.

I'm a cautious decorator. If I know that a cake may sit out for a long time, I will use non-perishable ingredients when reasonable and available.

That said, I honestly can't see a public health problem arising by pressing a small piece of fondant into a mold for a few seconds and then applying it to a cake. It would be different if the cake, or fondant, were to sit in the mold for an extended period of time, perhaps, on an off chance, something could "leach" out of the plastic.....

When I've used these molds, they have been washed in hot water, antibacterial soap , and bleach. I usually prep them with corn starch or crisco. My molds are dedicated to fondant and have never been used for clay, or anything else.

I'm sorry, I just can't see the harm, or even the potential for harm.

Rae

They are made with a plastic that is not food safe. I have heard it several times before. They are made to use with clay there for the company that makes them did not have to worry about weither you could use them for food or not.

It could very well be that they are covering their butts, so that if anyone gets sick they can state that they are not a food safe product. Or it could very well be that there is something in there that is not healthy to comsume.

What you do with that information is your choice.

I have heard of people that have used them with no problem. Same thing with non edible items such as markers, or even some of the dusts or degrees. I've also heard that contract paper may not be food safe either, but apparently there are tons of people that use it under their cakes with out any problems.

Be educated about the items you use, and make your choice to you it from there...

I have these molds and have used them with my molded cake decorations, so far no one has died from it yet. Honestly I do not believe this, because I for one have tried it. I called Sculptey myself and asked them, they didn't say yes or no, but they said they have not recommended it for this purpose. According to them, they have had people telling them that they have used this for Fondant or Gumpaste and they work just fine. I just think that there is too much paranoia on such little things. I will keep using them for my cake decorations. I love my molds. Just my opinion

Squirelly,
I know what I said in the previous thread.
That was before I called and talked to them.
I did what I was suppose to do..ask. I called them before I used it.

I'm not telling people what to think, I'm just speaking for myself.
If you are worried about it, that's fine with me. As for myself, I'm not .
Have a nice day.

I am going to say here, to cover CC's butt, that if the company says it is not food-safe, we officially do NOT recommend you use the product in the preparation of your cakes, cookies, candies, or any other food product.

Any post by any member of CakeCentral stating an opinion otherwise is not representative of CakeCentral as an organization.

Actually, in your earlier post you said you contacted them and they said they were ok to use. In this later thread here you said they didn't say no and didn't say yes. But this manufacturer has been consistent in their responses to consumer inquiries, always saying that the ground from which they were made was contaminated.
I just don't think we should mislead anyone into believing otherwise and I felt that both of your posts were misleading in that they were not the same as the statements that the manufacturer has made to all requests that we are aware of. Nor did they match each other. There are a few earlier threads on this subject that always state the same company position.
We have to be careful to state truth and fact so that we do not mislead anyone into making a choice when they feel they are armed with correct information when they are indeed not. If we do not know the answer we are better off saying we do not know so that someone will contact the manufacturer to get the correct information which is why I did and why I copied the letter here an on

Sorry Heath, I was posting my earlier post at the same time you did. That is why I copied the name of the person from the company, and her complete response and a copy of my original email to her, so that the site would have the official company stance on it, not my opinion or anyone else's.

Heath,
Thank you very much for the emphasis on the word OPINION.
That's what I have been doing all this time, giving my opinion.
I really appreciate your clarity on this subject.
Very much appreciated.

Yes, it is only opinions being shared here, and personally, the only opinion I'm interested in is that of the company who made the molds!

Thank you Squirrelly, I now know not to purchase these mold with intent to use them with food items.

Boy, am I ever glad I didn't buy the ones I was looking at yesterday! I would never want to take a chance on giving my family or anyone else something that may be unhealthy.
Thanks for letting us know. I'll buy the more expensive, but for sure, safe kind.

Prettycake wrote:

I believe Squirrelly is referring to the fact that you stated in your threads that you had called the company & they said they were safe....the company has never said they were safe for food use. This is not an opinion...this is telling people untrue information. Just because someone has not died from something yet doesn't make it any less harmful.

OK, This is just my very opinion. If you play the lottery the chances of your winning are slim to none. If you use a non food grade mold, same thing. Chances are slim to none that someone will die or get sick. The reason one plays the lottery is because they are taking a chance that they could win;right? Same thing applies to non food grade items. When you use them you are taking a chance -- it's a big chance. That 1 in a mil. could be lurking out there.

speaking of chances......


there is only 4-5 days (according to ge!! ) out of the month you can get pregnant.....but those who don't want to....still take birth control.....


so I guess its all in how ok you would be with the outcome if those chances fell in your lap.


as everyone...I have an opinion about whether a non food safe item should be used or not...just as I have one on whether a dog should lick a cake thats being sold.......but I dont gamble in vegas either

I think the main intent for this pm was to put the word out so that those that would be concerned but using it....would know. Not lets argue on who does what....when where or why!
\\



edited to fix my days of the month...thanks to judge judy!

ok...so

has anyone tried lining them w/ saran wrap?? that's food safe and would make a food safe barrier...

but would it mess up the detail?



(and .... grew up in a 30 second/wash it off rule house --- warning this does NOT work w/ cake...results in crying child)

I really think we need a little more research into the risk. I'm confused by the fact that Sculpey clay is non-toxic and the company strongly promotes that yet they make the push molds from off-shore contaminated soil that can't come anywhere near anything edible? What if kids touch it and put their hands in their mouth or even put the mold in their mouths? I understand that food-safe and non-toxic are not the same thing but a non-toxic product will not make you sick or kill you if you eat it/from it. I'd like to speak to the company myself to hear what they have to say before I make the decision to throw out my Sculpey molds (which I haven't even gotten to use yet ). I don't want to overreact to a threat that isn't real.

I know one thing Sculpey is missing a large market .They aught to branch out. Maybe if everyone keeps mailing them hmmm never know.

I e-mailed Sculpey last night because the comment about "contaminated soil" bothered me a great deal. This is a copy of my e-mail and the complete response I received today.


My original e-mail:

From: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, May 26, 2006
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Push Molds

Hello.
Recently, you may have received several inquires regarding the plastic "push
molds" used with Sculpey clay. The issue regarding their safety/non-toxic
status has come into question by cake decorators who enjoy using them to mold
fondant/sugarpaste/gum paste icing decorations.

On one popular cake decorating website, a member posted this statement
regarding the molds:
"...The soil used in the making of this item comes from a contaminated soil"
from an "off-shore" site.

I would like to know if the above statement is indeed true.

Another member questioned why Sculpey would tout the fact that the clay is
non-toxic, only to then encourage users to place it in molds that would then
render it potentially toxic? I find this question intriguing as well. The
implication of the first statement is that the molds contain contaminants that
would be of a concern if they are handled and then hands are put in mouths,
or molded clay is then handled or mouthed, etc.

I fully understand that the molds are not made of certified "food safe"
plastic and that their intended purpose is not for use with food. I personally
do not see the potential for harm if a small piece of fondant is pushed into a
mold for 2 seconds and then removed and placed on a cake as a decoration. I
would simply like a response to the statement regarding manufacture with
contaminated soil.

Thank you for your time and attention.

RESPONSE FROM SCULPEY:

Subject: RE: Push Molds
Date: 5/26/2006
From: [email protected]
Reply To: [email protected]
To:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Polyform Products. You are the second person so far to mention contaminated soil. Sculpey Push Molds are entirely non-toxic and do not contain soil of any kind. They are 100% polyurethane. However, as you mentioned, they are not tested for use with food or beverage of any kind. Therefore, push molds should not be used for cake decorating. The exception would be for a piece that is not meant to be eaten and can be separated from the surface of the cake/icing by a barrier or disc of some kind.



I would like to contact the web site directly to clarify any misunderstandings. Could you please send me their address?



Thank you for your help. If you have any additional questions, please let me know.



Regards,

Sarah



Sarah Colella

Polyform Products Company

[email protected]

That was nice of the company to clarify. Thanks for sharing the letter.

Angie

Blakecakes,
THANK YOU, for the info.

Thanks BlakesCakes for posting the email you received. I received almost the same reply from the company. This is what I really needed to know...


Hello Lisa,

Thank you for contacting Polyform Products. All of our push molds are non-toxic and are not made with soil of any kind. They are 100% polyurethane.

Hi Lisa,
THANK YOU, for sharing the info. that you got.
Toxic or not, at least we got TRUE info directly from the "horse's mouth "
Have a very nice long week-end, for I defintely will...

Here is an exact copy of their response to me and I stand corrected I should not have said contaminated soil rather that it comes form re-cycled product which is what was referred to as not being food safe. I did not use this phrase in my original post but as I got interrupted last night and was busy at the time and had to come here to defend my post, I used that phrase by mistake. I should have taken more time to formulate my response here. But I was caught off guard having to come here to defend a post that was already on this site. But no, I am very sorry, it should not have read contaminated soil and it didn't in my original statement on or on my original post here on the site. It should have read "possibly contaminated recycled product" or "possilby contaminated material or re-cycled material" which would explain the fact that it was not considered to be safe by the manufacturer for use with food. And I do know that the molds are not made of earth but rather of a recycled material.
I only came on this site because it was in question and my purpose was because I felt that prettycake made two conflicting statements and I wanted the statements cleared up.

But since you folks were discussing my post you would have seen this in my post there and you would have seen this also in the original posts here on this site which is why I contacted the manufacturer in the first place.

Regardless though I misstated the term, the end result is the same according to the manufacturer, the product is not food safe.
So once again, I apologize for misstating the facts by using the incorrect term but my original email to the company and their original response stil confirms that this product is not food safe.

The Sculpey Clay person named in this response, particularly referred to the pasted comments, I had included in my Pm.

Quote: The push molds are manufactured offshore and are not of a food grade material. This means that it could be partly recycled product, etc. If the products were of food grade, they would be much more expensive. They work for plaster, hot glue, extra thick embossing powders, etc. They are not certified for food whether fresh out of the package or after being used with clay. We have disseminated this message, and some cooks have disregarded it because they discard their marzipan or fondant embellishments. We must give this safeguard. These molds are a craft product, and are not designed for use with food products."
This quote is taken from a response that another member of this site received from the company, it is posted in an earlier thread.


Many cake decorators have been using Sculpey Clay Push Out Molds with fondant, to make fondant decorations. I contacted the manufacturer and was advised that these are not food safe. Here is a copy of the manufacturer's response to my query which I have also attached.

Hello,
Thank you for contacting Polyform Products. The response pasted below is correct. Unfortunately, our products are not tested or recommended for use with food or beverage of any kind. I hope this helps, but please let me know if you have any additional questions.



Regards,

Sarah



Sarah Colella

Polyform Products Company

polyformproducts.com






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a copy of the email I sent to the manufacturer.

Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 2:00 AM
To: polyformproducts.com
Subject: Sculpey Clay Molds Safe for Use With Food?



Dear sir,

I am a member of a large cake decorating site.
Recently, we have conflicting information posted regarding the safety of using your molds, specifically the Sculpey Push Molds, to mold fondant and gumpaste, that would have direct contact with food and also would be eaten.

One member says she contacted you directly and was told, "Yes, they are safe..I already called and asked the manufacturer..yeah, that was a concern of mine" in reference to a question asking if your product, the mold, was safe for food use. Another member stated that she received this response from your company: The push molds are manufactured offshore and are not of a food grade material. This means that it could be partly recycled product, etc. If the products were of food grade, they would be much more expensive. They work for plaster, hot glue, extra thick embossing powders, etc. They are not certified for food whether fresh out of the package or after being used with clay. We have disseminated this message, and some cooks have disregarded it because they discard their marzipan or fondant embellishments. We must give this safeguard. These molds are a craft product, and are not designed for use with food products."
This subject has come up on many cake decorating sites and many thousands of members would like to know what is the official policy on this item, the Sculpey Push Molds, is it food safe or not.
End of email

I figured you just got mixed up a couple times Squirrelly. I understand. Thanks for the clarification .

As far as the molds not being food safe, it's not because they might be made from recycled material. Many food-safe products are made from recycled materials and the molds have already been declared "entirely non-toxic" meaning the finished material they are composed of does not pose a health risk. The molds are not declared food-safe because they haven't been tested for use with food.

Just trying to help sort it all out. Food-safety is an important issue and I know everyone appreciates your concern .

I think that they are just being careful and covering their butts. It's a big company and could be a big issue. I have to think personally, that given the fact that kids play with these and put their hands in their mouths, that being non-toxic is enough to make them okay to use at least for decorations. You'd have to eat a heck of a lot of molded decorations for it to be an issue. Given the fact that most gumpaste figures aren't eaten at all, I think I wouldn't be too worried about the molds, IN MY OPINION,