For Those Who Feed Others Disco Dust
Decorating By Cakepro Updated 11 Jan 2013 , 6:30pm by FromScratchSF
Most people I know eat fondant.
Lots of people seem very worried about the small amounts of DD being consumed and I'm not saying they shouldn't be but I would be curious to know how many are using shortening/margarines in their buttercreams which are full of trans fats from hydrogenisation and which are extremely bad for peoples health.
So now we're comparing shards of plastic to actual food. Okay, while we're at it,
*Let's add that the cholesterol and saturated fat in butter will do your heart in (don't know why people harp on margarine like butter is not as effective at causing coronary artery disease). http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/askdietician/margarine.aspx And for the record I'm a butter fan... the high fat European style butter for that matter.
*All that powdered sugar? Diabetes waiting to happen.
*And the food coloring in Red velvet? Your liver is shot.
See where this is going? Cake has a very small spot in a "healthy" diet and should be consumed in moderation but please let's not get carried away with comparing actual food with non-food materials.
Oh the hell with it why not add make sure you remove all seeds as they're not food items either, and some seeds are known to contain small amounts of cyanide ( bitter almonds, apple seeds, apricot kernels, cherry seeds).
These are not food items but are found in food and as long as the seeds stay intact they don't pose a problem but the main point is that you would have to eat a significant amount to cause you a problem. So don't chew on apple seeds. If you had to add these seeds ( and in the case of bitter almonds some countries have banned them altogether) to food the health department would have a field day!
I do feel that although we need food safety laws for those who have no common sense whatsoever, the degree to which this type of discussion raises alarm isn't warranted. The discussion about glitter, exposure to plastics that aren't specifically labeled 'food safe' etc etc fails to address the nitty gritty. How much do you have to ingest for it to be toxic? How long does something have to be in contact for it to be significantly medically contaminated?
There was a discussion on 'the mat' and a debate about buying it for an exorbitant price, or cheaper stuff from elsewhere. Flexible plastics give off small amounts of toxic residue and the longer something is contact with it the more contaminated it becomes - but for it to get to a level where it will cause physical harm can take years. All soda cans and tinned food cans are lined with plastic these days and it leaches into the food/drink, so the longer it stays in the tin the more contaminated it becomes which I think is a little more worrying than glittery poo. Glitter is inert and passes through the body unchanged, just like when you were a kid and used to eat the sand at the beach (I just lovedthose nappies). It has no nutritional value and is inert in the body which is why it is not considered a food item as such, not because it is toxic and harmful. Even if you ate glitter that contained small amounts of metal (as it was reported in the UK) it is still going to pass through your system unchanged, like a seed.
With all the other food additives out there and colours that actually can affect the body and make people sick, I think glittery bowel movements are waaaaaay down on the list - be aware of it yes and use discretion and make sure you inform your clients about what is and isn't edible - which is just common sense.
With all the other food additives out there and colours that actually can affect the body and make people sick, I think glittery bowel movements are waaaaaay down on the list - be aware of it yes and use discretion and make sure you inform your clients about what is and isn't edible - which is just common sense.
Can I just say... Glittery Bowel movements gave me a good chuckle :p hehe
I agree with you though ozgirl42, I don't think the issue is as important as it is being made out to be, nor as important as food additives which are also not "food" when you consider it, they are artificial chemical additives which can potentially be very harmful, I know as a sufferer of reactions to certain colours and additives.
Should this glitter be eaten, probably not, will it kill you or make you sick, probably not, there is no evidence of it having done so to anyone that I have found.
The chemicals and trans fats most bakeries use on a daily basis is far more scary than the odd bit of glitter which is large enough to pass through intact.
None of us should eat anything artificial, but we all do... like we do a whole heap of things that are bad for us.
Agree with ozgirl...
seriously. No offence, but the amount of posts i have read on this site about people getting worked up about the most RIDICULOUS things is crazy. Yes exercise caution.. but seriously, calm down and focus on things that are actually going to do harm. In some cases, people here really need to take 'a chill pill'. I grew up in the back of bake houses, my opa has been baking his entire life and has run several successful bakeries, he used to *gasp* cut up old cardboard boxes and cover them to be used as cake boards. Chalk was also ground up to be used as petal dust. Exercise caution, use common sense, educate customers, but please calm down and be rational about these things!
(oh and p.s margarine is only a few particles away from being considered a plastic =))
Oh the hell with it why not add make sure you remove all seeds as they're not food items either, and some seeds are known to contain small amounts of cyanide ( bitter almonds, apple seeds, apricot kernels, cherry seeds).
These are not food items but are found in food and as long as the seeds stay intact they don't pose a problem but the main point is that you would have to eat a significant amount to cause you a problem. So don't chew on apple seeds. If you had to add these seeds ( and in the case of bitter almonds some countries have banned them altogether) to food the health department would have a field day!
I do feel that although we need food safety laws for those who have no common sense whatsoever, the degree to which this type of discussion raises alarm isn't warranted. The discussion about glitter, exposure to plastics that aren't specifically labeled 'food safe' etc etc fails to address the nitty gritty. How much do you have to ingest for it to be toxic? How long does something have to be in contact for it to be significantly medically contaminated?
There was a discussion on 'the mat' and a debate about buying it for an exorbitant price, or cheaper stuff from elsewhere. Flexible plastics give off small amounts of toxic residue and the longer something is contact with it the more contaminated it becomes - but for it to get to a level where it will cause physical harm can take years. All soda cans and tinned food cans are lined with plastic these days and it leaches into the food/drink, so the longer it stays in the tin the more contaminated it becomes which I think is a little more worrying than glittery poo. Glitter is inert and passes through the body unchanged, just like when you were a kid and used to eat the sand at the beach (I just lovedthose nappies). It has no nutritional value and is inert in the body which is why it is not considered a food item as such, not because it is toxic and harmful. Even if you ate glitter that contained small amounts of metal (as it was reported in the UK) it is still going to pass through your system unchanged, like a seed.
With all the other food additives out there and colours that actually can affect the body and make people sick, I think glittery bowel movements are waaaaaay down on the list - be aware of it yes and use discretion and make sure you inform your clients about what is and isn't edible - which is just common sense.
Oh the hell with it why not add make sure you remove all seeds as they're not food items either, and some seeds are known to contain small amounts of cyanide ( bitter almonds, apple seeds, apricot kernels, cherry seeds).
These are not food items but are found in food and as long as the seeds stay intact they don't pose a problem but the main point is that you would have to eat a significant amount to cause you a problem. So don't chew on apple seeds. If you had to add these seeds ( and in the case of bitter almonds some countries have banned them altogether) to food the health department would have a field day!
I do feel that although we need food safety laws for those who have no common sense whatsoever, the degree to which this type of discussion raises alarm isn't warranted. The discussion about glitter, exposure to plastics that aren't specifically labeled 'food safe' etc etc fails to address the nitty gritty. How much do you have to ingest for it to be toxic? How long does something have to be in contact for it to be significantly medically contaminated?
There was a discussion on 'the mat' and a debate about buying it for an exorbitant price, or cheaper stuff from elsewhere. Flexible plastics give off small amounts of toxic residue and the longer something is contact with it the more contaminated it becomes - but for it to get to a level where it will cause physical harm can take years. All soda cans and tinned food cans are lined with plastic these days and it leaches into the food/drink, so the longer it stays in the tin the more contaminated it becomes which I think is a little more worrying than glittery poo. Glitter is inert and passes through the body unchanged, just like when you were a kid and used to eat the sand at the beach (I just lovedthose nappies). It has no nutritional value and is inert in the body which is why it is not considered a food item as such, not because it is toxic and harmful. Even if you ate glitter that contained small amounts of metal (as it was reported in the UK) it is still going to pass through your system unchanged, like a seed.
With all the other food additives out there and colours that actually can affect the body and make people sick, I think glittery bowel movements are waaaaaay down on the list - be aware of it yes and use discretion and make sure you inform your clients about what is and isn't edible - which is just common sense.
The discussion isn't that it's toxic or edible or whatever. When I drink a soda or eat something I make that choice as a consumer. As a producer of food for sale to the public I consider it my responsibilty to make sure that the food I sell is as safe as possible, hence nothing inedible or even non-toxic. If I do use a plastic toy i make sure to place the toy on a bit of paste that can be removed - and I instruct the client to remove the toy and paste before serving.
And ENOUGH with the margarine myth! That old Erumor has been debunked for years, so please STOP spreading it. http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/butter-margarine.htm
Note: I don't and won't eat margarine, but it drives me crazy when the general public blindly believes all those e-mails folks send around. use your heads, folks, prove that you're educable and be source critical!
my little mom had tons of zinc in her body and
we found out later this is what caused her the weirdest health problems in her later years,
millions of platelets & crazy complications.
i'd ask her Mom. where did you get all this zinc from
and we never focused on it much 'cause we dealt with the problems in front of us
(although she had kelation for the zinc)
not realizing the zinc had caused these anomolies
well since then i see the lawyer ads on the tv where you can sue
where denture cream had tons of unlabeled zinc in it
(which helps the mouth heal and avoid the abrasion of denture wear)
so who knows what some of this stuff does to us in the long run
maybe some of us will have glittering colonoscopies someday
brightening up operating rooms across the land i don't know
wonder what dd does to those who already have gastro disorders
I have to agree with Oz and some of the other posters that think this subject has been beaten to death. I think we've established that the glitter is not toxic, passes through the digestive system without being absorbed or breaking down, and exits the human body intact. I know that this is not a food item, however, I really don't see the problem here with a few sprinkles of glitter. I put it on my cakes, and don't hesitate to eat it or serve it to family and friends, without a single incident of medical mayhem. I will say that I am much more concerned about raw eggs and egg whites in buttercream icing that might be consumed by children or pregnant women than some glitter on top of it that will pass through your system unchanged. Yes, I said it. salmonella concerns me. Microscopic particles of plastic that pass intact without harm to the human body, not so much.
Sometimes I wonder at the motivation some people have in choosing what and who to attack. It does seem quite personal and perhaps a little jealousy-driven? That being said, DonnaOK, your cakes are absolutely exquisite. I love your work and aspire to your level of professional perfectionism. Give me your cake anytime, glitter and all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Got it in one Godot - common sense should prevail in most cases. I'm certain that most of us ate worse stuff when we were kids - and a lot more frequently! Cake is a after all a sometimes food :-)
PS - most items are but only one molecule from being another product - such as water to alcohol. I am tired of that myth as well.
this important thread got derailed by run amuck ad hominem attacks, re-attacks and taking sides however
this is significant:
from the Galveston County Health District
..."After speaking with the United States Food and Drug Administration it is clear that Disco Dust is not labeled for use in food and should not be used to decorate edible products.
You should discontinue the use of Disco Dust in edible products until such time as the product is approved as a food or food additive"
honestly i think cake deco supply places should never have carried the product in the first place but we can't unring that bell
so instead of this being a random finding of the health department there--i guess cakepro asked the particular question and got the no surprise answer
AReally, what's the argument here? You can't dismiss the fact that it's plastic. Come on. Plastic. I use it on items clearly meant for removal, and my clients aren't morons so they know not to eat it. One time I put disco all over a cupcake cause it was going to make a nice sparkly picture. I know better now. You just don't feed your clients plastic. Period.
A friend of mine consumed dd and has extreme gastro disorders. I had loaned her a ton of stuff to do a cake for her kid and she wanted sparkles so i just gave her my box of different dusts, not even thinking to tell her to not use the dd on parts that would be eaten ( she had helped in my bakery several times and had heard me tell other people to remove the glittered pieces). She eneded up in the hospital. the dust irritated lesions already in her intestines and caused pretty severe bleeding.
Granted she has many health issues that are uncommon for most people but still something to be aware of, because you never know the health risks of people whom may be consuming products.
A friend of mine consumed dd and has extreme gastro disorders. I had loaned her a ton of stuff to do a cake for her kid and she wanted sparkles so i just gave her my box of different dusts, not even thinking to tell her to not use the dd on parts that would be eaten ( she had helped in my bakery several times and had heard me tell other people to remove the glittered pieces). She eneded up in the hospital. the dust irritated lesions already in her intestines and caused pretty severe bleeding.
Granted she has many health issues that are uncommon for most people but still something to be aware of, because you never know the health risks of people whom may be consuming products.
oh my god
so in this case to her fragile system it was like asbestos is to the lungs
oh my god i hope she is ok now
wow wow wow wow wow
say it ain't so
Uh, yes. I'm not a doctor, and neither do I play one on television, but I can definitely see the equation:
Diverticulosis + Disco Dust = diverticulitis.
Diverticulosis is a relatively benign condition, involving tiny pockets in the intestinal wall, that many people have, without symptoms, and never even know it until such time as it's discovered in a colonoscopy.
Diverticulitis, on the other hand, is a life-threatening condition involving inflammation (and usually infection) of the aforementioned tiny pockets.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yuma_couture_cakes/7161854941/in/photostream
This is probably even worse than disco dust, but maybe not.
However you can see that the little crystals were adhered to a piece of fondant with STRICT instructions to remove before cutting. And if the little piece of fondant didn't still say IZZI after they peeled it off, they had some hunting to do (for stray crystals). I don't have a problem with this kind of thing though. It was specifically requested by client, and they were warned and a disclaimer was clearly noted in contract. Would I suggest it myself while designing something? Probably not. I'd much rather play with isomalt and sugar, but I don't *mind* it.
I was accused of being "arrogant" early on in this thread. "Less than diplomatic" would have been more accurate. :)
But speaking of arrogance...isn't it a little arrogant to assume that one has the level of education necessary to declare that DD passes through the system intact with no ill effects to any human beings...effectively declaring oneself smarter than all of the professionals in the FDA, and thus deciding to disagree with the FDA and feed plastic to the public?
DD is not food. It is plastic. Professionals have a duty to not feed the public plastic. Enough said. :)
-------------
And in reference to the deleted comments, I would like to state that I attacked no one. I told someone that her cake was gorgeous, but DD is not edible and should not be fed to her customers. She replied (to paraphrase) that she has no problem with it. I then stated that to continue to use DD is unethical and professional. I did not state that SHE was unethical, unprofessional, or say anything about her as a person. I advised her that the practice of feeding people plastic was unethical and unprofessional.
And it is.
It is likewise unethical and unprofessional to continue to put poisonous flowers on cakes once one has learned that the flowers are poisonous.
It is unethical and unprofessional to knowingly place non-food-grade or non-medical-grade wires in cakes.
It is unethical and unprofessional to knowingly hold cakes with perishable fillings at room temperature for greater than 4 hours.
It is unethical and unprofessional to place images printed with regular, toxic printer ink on cakes (one of my own students told me that she had been buying wafer paper and printing images from her regular printer for her family's cakes for years 
)
It is unethical and unprofessional for bakers to re-ice clients' cakes that their cute little pooch or kitty has licked half the icing off of (yes, I've seen people post they've done this more than once here).
It is unethical and unprofessional to work on cakes while you are sick with an infectious disease or illness (people post on here how sick they are with the flu but they're slogging through all their cake orders anyway).
If you have a business and you feed the public and you engage in any of these practices KNOWINGLY then I will tell you that your practices are unethical and unprofessional.
If you have a business, you should heed the admonitions of your colleagues before your health inspector shows up and enters those violations onto a permanent record for your business or God forbid, you actually harm someone!
I remember when I learned that DD was plastic. My immediate reaction was, "Oh $#!%! Who did I feed that to??" It just shocks me when people who learn about food safety issues react with, "Oh pish-posh, I haven't killed anyone yet, I've seen so-and-so do it on TV, so I'll just keep on doing it." These are the justifications people have used for years here and in other forums. I don't have a lot of tolerance for people who so arrogantly decide they know better than medical professionals and public health authorities.
Enough rambling. I've gotta get rolling on these cakes or I will be up all night! :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yuma_couture_cakes/7161854941/in/photostream
This is probably even worse than disco dust, but maybe not. However you can see that the little crystals were adhered to a piece of fondant with STRICT instructions to remove before cutting. And if the little piece of fondant didn't still say IZZI after they peeled it off, they had some hunting to do (for stray crystals). I don't have a problem with this kind of thing though. It was specifically requested by client, and they were warned and a disclaimer was clearly noted in contract. Would I suggest it myself while designing something? Probably not. I'd much rather play with isomalt and sugar, but I don't *mind* it.
scarey though
we did not even like to put the plastic baby in the King cakes
we put it separate and the client could hide it in there
remember when the bride used all those dang charms on ribbons hidden in a shower cake
Uh, yes. I'm not a doctor, and neither do I play one on television, but I can definitely see the equation:
Diverticulosis + Disco Dust = diverticulitis.
Diverticulosis is a relatively benign condition, involving tiny pockets in the intestinal wall, that many people have, without symptoms, and never even know it until such time as it's discovered in a colonoscopy.
Diverticulitis, on the other hand, is a life-threatening condition involving inflammation (and usually infection) of the aforementioned tiny pockets.
This is correct - I have diverticulosis - have had it for several years. Disco dust has never affected my condition.
I am glad a wilton school instructor told me not to use DD on anything people plan on eating. This speaks with before you think mentality is not acceptable in everyday face to face society and should not be acceptable when you are hidden in front of a computer screen or mobile device. In my everyday life I had given people who speak without thinking first diagnoses as having diarrhea of the mouth. Unfortunately, from time to time to I suffer from these symptoms. Next time you disagree someone’s thoughts or behavior and it upsets you, think will others refer to me as having the dreaded diarrhea of the mouth.
remember when the bride used all those dang charms on ribbons hidden in a shower cake
Yeah, but those were expected to be there. They knew they were going to be pulling a charm out. I don't know, I think those kind of things are nostalgic and traditional, and you're kind of a dummy if you eat one. There's a taco place here, a local institution mind you. They've been slinging rolled tacos for 50 years, and every one of them comes with the toothpick still in it. You take the toothpick out, then eat the taco. And if the toothpick somehow broke off, you break the taco at that point and dig it out. No way in heck would anyone ever walk this taco up to the counter and complain. They'd be met with looks of disbelief and the other patrons would probably laugh. Not really relevant, but a toothpick certainly ain't food, yet there it is, served to to the customer firmly implanted in food. :D
Yeah, but those were expected to be there. They knew they were going to be pulling a charm out. I don't know, I think those kind of things are nostalgic and traditional, and you're kind of a dummy if you eat one. There's a taco place here, a local institution mind you. They've been slinging rolled tacos for 50 years, and every one of them comes with the toothpick still in it. You take the toothpick out, then eat the taco. And if the toothpick somehow broke off, you break the taco at that point and dig it out. No way in heck would anyone ever walk this taco up to the counter and complain. They'd be met with looks of disbelief and the other patrons would probably laugh. Not really relevant, but a toothpick certainly ain't food, yet there it is, served to to the customer firmly implanted in food. :D
true that
in our litigious society it always gave us pause though
and in our dd scenario and the galveston letter--
toothpicks surely are approved by the FDA to use on food products unlike our glitteratious hooligan dd
and i bet those charms were food safe because wilton with all it's mass market flaws, does err on the side of food safe
remember when the bride used all those dang charms on ribbons hidden in a shower cake
Sounds a lot like a New Orleans Mardi Gras king cake. Or something I read about in a James Joyce short story.
And if fear of lawsuit is the only reason you practice good food safety, you're probably in the wrong business: you should be practicing good food safety because you don't want to make anybody sick: because the very idea of making somebody sick horrifies you, and makes you want to do whatever it takes to make sure that if anybody gets sick from something you made, it's you.
And toothpicks, king cake charms, the items in a typical DecoPac kit, and the traditional flower-shaped birthday candle holders that nobody seems to stock any more, are not only made from food-safe materials; they're also designed to be easily and completely removed.
My husband works with a man who ordered a sandwich at a restaurant during a work-related dinner. Everybody had a toothpick in their sandwich, but this man's toothpick did not have the little colored plastic thingy - it had fallen off. So instead of using his brain, he bit into the sandwich. Again, not using his brain, he continuted to chew (or not chew very well) with the toothpick in his mouth. He then swallowed the toothpick and had to have it surgically removed. A little brains and logic goes a long way. If it's on your cake and it looks like glitter, any normal, rational person SHOULD think "Hey that looks like glitter, I'm not going to eat that". It doesn't mean it should be banned from being a decoration. Decorations are decorative. If someone's brain doesn't function well enough to think, well then rainbow poo for them. And if your child wants to eat it because it's shiny, any logical parent SHOULD say "no, that looks like glitter, we're not going to eat that".
I can't even get a hot coffee at McDonalds anymore (they're warm enough, but not hot) because people aren't using their brains and understanding that "coffee=hot" and suing for their stupid mistakes. One lady sent her 4 year old up to the counter to get her coffee refilled and then was SHOCKED when the little girl was burned. Parent of the year.
Also DD on BC = gross.
Sounds a lot like a New Orleans Mardi Gras king cake. Or something I read about in a James Joyce short story.
And if fear of lawsuit is the only reason you practice good food safety, you're probably in the wrong business: you should be practicing good food safety because you don't want to make anybody sick: because the very idea of making somebody sick horrifies you, and makes you want to do whatever it takes to make sure that if anybody gets sick from something you made, it's you.
And toothpicks, king cake charms, the items in a typical DecoPac kit, and the traditional flower-shaped birthday candle holders that nobody seems to stock any more, are not only made from food-safe materials; they're also designed to be easily and completely removed.
i'm uncomfortable with ad hominem temperature taking
i'm going to assume you mean the following even though you quoted my post first--
'And if fear of lawsuit is the only reason you practice one practices good food safety, you're that person is probably in the wrong business: you one should be practicing good food safety because you don't one doesn't want to make anybody sick: because..." and on
if fear of lawsuit is one's only motive, i'll take it over having no motive at all for safety
my motives for what it's worth -- important or unimportant are very clear from what i've been writing
the charms are safe to use--this still gave us pause due to jess 155's toothpick boy type cases and etc.
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