Shiny New Food Additive Approved By FDA
“Mom, can I have some titanium dioxide on my mica-based pearlescent pigments?”
“You can now, honey!”
The FDA has approved a new coloring additive for food, effective July 5, 2006. I have no idea what mica-based pearlescent pigments look like, even without a coating of titanium dioxide. I envision shimmery, metallic Fruit Loops. For some reason it reminds me of X-Men’s Wolverine.
While the FDA doesn’t give a hint about the new chewing gum colors we can expect this fall, the report offers a look into how the organization approves new ingredients. The inspectors sift through the scientific literature as well as experiments run by the manufacturer (EM Industries in this case). They consider toxicological data, figure out safe percentages, and come up with a decision. Read the Safety Evaluation section to get a glimpse into the process.
They’ve actually been selling these to cake decorators for a while, as they are available but not technically approved. Here’s an example: http://www.winbeckler.com/dusts.asp .
Not that I’m in favor of more additives, but these ARE pretty for special effects.