Recent News

Media Contact:
Lisa Cox
Chief, Office of Public Information
Missouri DHSS of Health and Senior Services
Lisa.Cox@health.mo.gov

 

JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) today issued a consumer advisory for Primrose Petal Dust cake decorating material sold by Sunflower Sugar Art in Indian River Shores, Florida. Laboratory tests conducted by the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory indicate Primrose Petal Dust contains excessive levels of lead.

The problem was first identified as a part of an investigation of elevated levels of lead in a Missouri resident. Product obtained by DHSS contained 250,000 parts per million (25 percent) lead. Lead is particularly dangerous to children because their growing bodies absorb more lead than adults and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. For more information about lead poisoning prevention, please visit https://health.mo.gov/living/environment/lead/.

Primrose Petal Dust is sold as a fine yellow powder for use in cake decorating and is somewhat similar to glitter. Primrose Petal Dust is label as “non-toxic.” Sunflower Sugar Art makes the claim on their website of food-grade silicone molds, cutters and color dusts for sugar art and that the Primrose Petal Dust product can be applied to fondant/gum paste, chocolate, pulled sugar/isomalt and more. Consumers who have purchased Primrose Petal Dust should not apply this product to any food product and are encouraged to discard it immediately.  Any food products that contain Primrose Petal Dust as an ingredient should also be discarded immediately. Pregnant women and the parents of children who may have consumed these products should consult with their physician and consider having blood lead levels tested.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have been made aware of the product and are conducting their own analysis of the situation.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has previously issued advisories concerning other similar decorative products. FDA recommends consumers do the following to determine what’s edible and what’s non-edible:

• Carefully check the label of any decorative product you’re considering for use in foods. Companies that make edible glitters and dusts are required by law to include a list of ingredients on the label.
• Common ingredients in edible glitter or dust include sugar, acacia (gum arabic), maltodextrin, cornstarch, and color additives specifically approved for food use, including mica-based pearlescent pigments and FD&C colors such as FD&C Blue No. 1.
• Most edible glitters and dusts also state “edible” on the label. If the label simply says “non-toxic” or “for decorative purposes only” and does not include an ingredients list, you should not use the product directly on foods.
• If you choose to decorate a food item with decorations that are not edible, be sure to remove the decorations before serving and eating the food.

 

About the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services: The department seeks to be the leader in protecting health and keeping people safe. More information about DHSS can be found at http://health.mo.gov or find us on Facebook and Twitter @HealthyLivingMo.