"Turns Your Entire Mouth Black"… Controversy over Cake Colorants in China

Concerns Over Edible Colorant Consumption Raised on Social Media
"Greater Caution Needed for Nutritional Imbalance"

Controversy has arisen in China regarding edible colorants used in dark-colored cakes.

On August 7, the Global Times in China reported, "Recently, the hashtag 'Never buy dark-colored cakes' has become popular on social networking services (SNS)," adding, "Concerns are growing over whether consuming edible colorants is indeed safe."

A controversy over food coloring used in dark-colored cakes has erupted in China. Baidu China.

This controversy began after a video was posted on Chinese SNS showing a baker pouring half a bottle of edible coloring into a cake mixture at once. The baker in the video could be seen wiping the coloring off his hand, saying, "It doesn't come off easily." Viewers of the video expressed concerns that edible colorants might be excessively overused in dark-colored cakes. One user complained, "As soon as I ate a dark-colored cake, my tongue and teeth instantly turned black."

Controversy has erupted in China over edible colorants used in dark-colored cakes. Baidu China.

Controversy over edible colorants surrounding dark-colored cakes has erupted in China. Baidu China.

In response, Lin, a baker with 20 years of experience, explained, "In ordinary bakeries, it is very rare to use half a bottle of coloring per cake," and added, "For black (dark) cakes, the coloring is mainly achieved through natural ingredients such as black cocoa powder, squid ink, or plant-based charcoal."

Experts agree that the nutritional imbalance of the cakes is a greater concern than the colorants themselves. Fan Zhuhong, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering at China Agricultural University, pointed out, "According to national standards, the maximum usage of synthetic edible colorants is strictly limited, and there are daily intake limits based on body weight." However, he emphasized, "What should be more concerning is the negative impact on health caused by the high sugar and fat content of cakes."

Professor Fan added, "For children, the frequency of cake consumption should be strictly limited," and recommended, "It is desirable to reduce the consumption of processed foods and structure diets around fresh natural ingredients."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.