I have seen a 'caution' statement attached to some of the luster dust colors......that if it contains Iron blue or Chromium Oxide that it has to be labeled..."For Decorative Purposes Only".

So, it use these colors on my cake to accent flowers, peals, etc.....do I have to tell people they can't eat it???

Oh MY! I hope not, I use all the Luster Dusts, and my 'sale" techinque is that everything is edable on my cakes! I hope I have not been telling poeple the wrong thing, or worse, getting people ill!

I hope that the warning is just for the consentrated powdres, that whe you mix it with an extract it is ok to consume....

I've never really paid that much attention to my containers. The amount of the dusts that are going to be consumed are such a minute amount. It is good to be on the safe side though. Most people probably don't eat the flowers that are dusted.


Amy

I put it on fondant, rolled butter cream, and candy clay. I do a ton of kids cakes. You know little ones, they will eat ANYTHING!

I am worried now!

well, maybe the caution statement is a requirement to satisfy some law or soemthing. I have also noticed that the colors that contain the chemical mentioned in my earlier post cannot be shipped to California.

I know that the dusts are not a food product and therefore not approved by the FDA as one but they are non-toxic.

I was jsut wondering.

The luster and petals dusts that I use is non-toxic, which doesn't contain all that stuff, and is safe to consume. I tried it with some gumpaste and royal icing flowers. My children ate a few and they are still alive!! lol. I purchased them at www.kitchenkrafts.com

Hey luster dusters. Help me with this. I bought some of the wilton gold, silver, etc. dust. How do you use it? do you mix with buttercream icing or apply to the top?

The Wilton styff is not the same as luster dust. Luster dust you mix w/ an extract to get a metalic look. The Wilton dusts just get sprinkled on like glitter I think.....Still can look very nice

I think some of the problem with the "luster" dusts is that in order to make them give that luster, they contain some of the same material in our formica tops in our kitchens (?mica)!! This was brought out about 3 years ago (when I first heard) Yes they are "non-toxic" but that doesn't always mean they are OK. Having said that, I figure that no one is going to sit down and eat a case of luster dust and I am sure we are exposed to much worse in our everyday life!! So, I bought as much as I could thinking they were going to be discontinued. Well, apparently the FDA is not concerned because they are still available and used a lot!

Some metallic colors, such as silver are not safe for consumption and carry the warning. But, you can get the edible silver, etc. just pay attention when you order, it will say "safe for consumption." Check the sugarcraft site for the different ones.
Of course....Im sure if it does kill your guest, it will do it over time and take a few years for the sickness to show. They'll never connect it with the cake.