Disco Dust Vent

Baking By inthekitchen2 Updated 7 Apr 2017 , 7:28pm by maybenot

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inthekitchen2 Posted 5 Apr 2017 , 3:19pm
post #1 of 11

There is a company, http://www.trulymadplastics.com/store/#!/TMP-Disco-Dusts/c/22920020/offset=0&sort=addedTimeDesc that is on Instagram tooting their disco dusts and they have a lot of followers. Whenever people ask if they are edible, they ignore the question, but other people will ask questions before or after those about shipping, etc. and they answer them.

It is frustrating because they will showcase people who use their disco dusts with their airbrush and everclear on their cookies! Lots of well known cookie people on Instagram that are in business selling their cookies promote this company left and right about how great their dusts are, and then showcase their cookies using them. Great, they look lovely and gold, but you can't eat them.

While this does not affect me directly, (unless people use these images for what they want in their order), this company is banking on other cookie people promoting their products. They more people go to this company to order so they can have cookies like this. As an average person, if the "famous" cookie lady in their community with 50K followers is using these on her cookies, they must think it's safe. Glue and crayons are non-toxic, but I wouldn't eat them. I assume the events they provide these cookies to have unknowing consumers who eat them. I can't imagine all of those cookies these people are making are just for show. It makes you wonder who you can trust. Ugh, vent over.

10 replies
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kakeladi Posted 5 Apr 2017 , 5:30pm
post #2 of 11

My 'off the top of my head'  answer:  What is their store name?  Truly mad plastic  tell you.   Do you want your customers eating plastic? 

Maybe you should post that as an answer to anyone who asks.  I bet the post would never appear or dissapear very quickly!

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inthekitchen2 Posted 5 Apr 2017 , 7:51pm
post #3 of 11

LOL!

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maybenot Posted 6 Apr 2017 , 3:49am
post #4 of 11

I took on the disco dust issue several years ago. I can't tell you how many HUNDREDS of decorators, bakers, teachers, and suppliers that I've contacted about this. Off hand, I'd say that as a whole, less than 25% gave a damn.

No matter how much evidence they're given that they're selling sharp metallic coated plastic craft glitter as a product that can be used on food--and eaten--the dollar always wins. They rationalize and justify it---it's non-toxic, a little won't hurt, I ate glue as a kid and lived, everyone else is doing it, and the best one: I told the client and they signed off on it, so if they eat it and there's a problem, it's their fault, not mine. NO NO NO

I worked with the FDA for nearly a year to get an advisory written about this. The FDA is very clear on this: at NO time is it ever acceptable to apply ANY non-toxic product to food that may/will be eaten. A client cannot "sign off" on having a food producer deliberately adulterate food. A producer can't transfer liability for a product to the consumer--ever.

There is no such thing as "edible disco dust". Plastic is not an approved food additive ANYWHERE in the world. Disco dust, being plastic, does not necessarily all pass merrily thru the many folds and twists of the soft tissue of the human gut. There is every reason to believe that some of it may stay behind, causing erosions in delicate bowel tissue, possibly pockets for infection to grown, or even micro-perforations. Yay!

Because they don't want to understand, they either dismiss the information or get hostile. They don't care about their customers and they don't care about their businesses--because if they are sued, their liability insurance won't cover them for a deliberate action of adulteration..................

Your recourse is to contact the local food safety organization [health department may be the agency, but if not, they can tell you who] and report them. In the ideal world, someone will go out, educate them, and then keep an eye on them........................

Use the info below to bolster your call, and keep trying to get people to do the right thing!

https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm481466.htm

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Rosemary7391 Posted 6 Apr 2017 , 8:43am
post #5 of 11

I thought the website was reasonably clear - they state non-toxic, which I always understood to mean safe to put into contact with food but not great to eat. They also don't list ingredients, which you have to do for food? At least this side of the pond you do!


There are some edible glitters around, at least ones that are approved in the UK:

https://www.cakecraftshop.co.uk/shop/8/185/

They separate out edible and non-edible glitters quite clearly. I don't what the regulations are like in the US and whether they'd be legally considered edible there.

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maybenot Posted 6 Apr 2017 , 7:46pm
post #6 of 11

There are edible glitters approved in the US.  They're made from gelatin, sugars, or a cellulose product. 

The primary issue when using products from another country is that in some cases, the color additives [E numbers in the UK, FDA certified colors in the US] may not be approved for use on/in food. 

Because of this, companies like Rainbow Dust and Petal Crafts actually began a product line just for the US market using FDA certified colors----and US food producers should be using ONLY products from that specific US line and UK users should use only the products in the UK line.

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ypierce82 Posted 6 Apr 2017 , 8:00pm
post #7 of 11

I was having this exact conversation with someone on YouTube who sprinkled a crap ton of pretty glitter on her cookies, and told her subscribers to do the same. When I told her that the particular brand of dust clearly says FOR DECORATIVE PURPOSES ONLY, she got really mad and tried to defend her use of it. I told her she may as well go to Hobby Lobby and buy craft glitter and throw it on there because it's the same thing. It didn't go too well lol 

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maybenot Posted 6 Apr 2017 , 8:32pm
post #8 of 11

No, it doesn't go well most of the time, but thanks so much for trying. 

You likely did make a difference for some of her readers, so take credit for that.

We are in an era of people more willing to defend doing something wrong than they are willing to learn from their mistakes, or to admit that they were incorrect.  They will merely argue that it is just an "alternative fact" and that it's really OK to feed people plastic craft glitter...........If they don't want to learn, you can't make them, but you can plant doubt. 

Maybe their continued defensiveness, and willingness to do the wrong thing, will come back to bite them.  We'll have to leave it to karma..............

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CannonsCakes Posted 7 Apr 2017 , 3:26am
post #9 of 11

So we have a bakery and a cake supply store,  we carry many products and they do offer a plastic looking glitter that is edible.  But disco dust is not, which is the stuff everyone wants.  Is it safe in small amounts, yes probably...but in large amounts it is not.  We looked up the CK disco dust and deco pac and it has the same label and warnings on it that the glitter at AC Moore had.  So I am figuring on it being non-toxic in small amounts, but we all have those customers who want the large amount dumped all over the cake while at the counter because what you have put on is not enough....but to try and limit the amount we use and have to buy (since it is so expensive) we started charging for customers who request it.  It's kind of like printing copy written images, do you do it or do you create a disgruntled customer when you tell them no....

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ypierce82 Posted 7 Apr 2017 , 5:26am
post #10 of 11

I'd rather have a disgruntled customer than go against what I know isn't right. 

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maybenot Posted 7 Apr 2017 , 7:28pm
post #11 of 11

I agree, ypierce82. 

I don't know how anyone with a conscience puts a plastic scrapbooking product on food and sells it to another human being for them to eat.  There is absolutely no justification for it. 

A client requesting adulterated food is a client who is told NO, because once the food producer caves into that, they put THEMSELVES, and THEIR BUSINESS, at risk.  An unscrupulous client, who knows that it is against FDA guidelines to put non-toxic products [of any amount] directly on food, could have a field day or a windfall. 

I can't see working to build up a business only to have to spend $ to defend against the indefensible, when a simple, "No, I can't do that.  It's against food safety standards and I won't risk my business for that." should put a customer in their place.  And, if they fuss, or go elsewhere, good riddance. 

You can see what I told you about justification.  The almighty dollar convinces people to justify violating copyright laws, to rationalize that just a little bit of a non-toxic is OK, etc.

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