Non-Toxic vs Edible Ingredients

I know I talk a lot about being a “responsible” baker. If it has to do with eating, I’ve probably researched it. I know you’ve seen them. The glittery, gold, shiny desserts that people go crazy over. We all seem to awe over them. Yes, they’re eye catching and sometimes downright gorgeous. Although, my very first thought is always, did they tell their client that this isn’t actually suppose to be ingested? There seems to be a lot of grey area in this subject. Yes, there are edible versions of these shiny toppings but here lies the problem. Non-toxic does not mean edible.

Non-Toxic

Not poisonous or toxic. I’m going to list some items I found that are labeled as “non-toxic”.

• Glue
• Glass Cleaner
• Nail Polish
• Pesticides
• Paint
• Dry Erase Markers

Our government has extremely lax regulations on our labels and listed ingredients. “Non-toxic” does not mean it should be used on items that will be consumed. These embellishments are safe to use around food, but are not meant to be eaten. These are the things you use on toppers or figures that will be removed before eating the cake.

Edible

Fit to be eaten as food. If the product you’re using is labeled “edible” AND FDA Approved then dust, sprinkle, and paint your heart out! There are some great products out there that are completely edible. Here are a few items I use that are completely edible and amazing!

                            

I have used things labeled as “non-toxic” in my baking career. I’ve only ever used them on items I know will not be consumed (intricate cake toppers, gumpaste flowers, etc.). As long as you are informed, and your client is informed.

Some things are probably common sense, but I’m going to go over one more thing. Please don’t use a glue gun on anything that will actually touch the cake. I recently saw a picture of a cake a local bakery did that had an element hot glued to it. Things like this freak me out. You cannot do this! Your glue gun is used for things like gluing cake boards together. You can even attach a ribbon to your board with hot glue. Just please, don’t ever glue things to your cake unless you’re using “edible” glue.

Just because someone else is dumping glitter all over their baked goods and selling them, doesn’t mean you should. When providing an edible product to anyone, it’s your responsibility to know what you’re actually selling. And “well, everyone else was using it, so I just figured it was ok” is not a legitimate reason to do anything. 

If you’re going for a gold covered cake I highly recommend these edible gold transfer sheets!