Is it safe to use cake decorating dusts and dyes? 2 experts explain |
Have you ever baked or decorated a birthday cake?
Interest in elaborate cakes is booming, driven by social media trends and television shows such as Is It Cake?.
This means products such as edible glitter and colourful dyes are becoming increasingly common at children’s parties and other social events.
But a recent incident, where a young boy from Queensland was hospitalised after inhaling cake decorating powder, has raised concerns about the safety of these products.
And authorities have now announced a nationwide recall of the product in question.
“Cake dust” refers to many different products used to decorate cakes. This includes edible glitter, metallic-looking powders, coloured dusts that are brushed on to decorations, and liquid colours that are sprayed on to cakes using airbrushes.
These products are made of various substances. Some are a mixture of food colourings and sugar or starch. Some also contain pigments that give them a metallic or glitter-like appearance. These pigments may contain small amounts of aluminium, copper or zinc that, when eaten in large amounts, can be toxic to humans.
Many also contain amorphous silicon dioxide, which helps stop powders from clumping together. This is not to be confused with crystalline silica dust, which has been shown to........