Shellac your food!

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Watch the candies or apples you eat. There may be shellac in it! Everyone knows shellac as a wood-finishing product. It's often used to give furniture or guitars that special shine. But do you know it is also commonly used as a food additive? Jelly beans and apples are so shiny for no other reason than the shellac that gives them their attractive shine! Read more about other horrifying additives!

Comments

Liz said…
If you thought the use of shellac involving our food was shocking, wait until you hear this. While I was researching a vegetarian diet, I discovered that this is one ingredient I need to watch out for. Shellac is produced from slaughtered animal hair and or feathers, and or from human hair. Below is the link where I found the information:
http://vegetariancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/surprising_nonvegetarian_foods
10 December 2009 at 15:33
footiam said…
thanks for the link. Interesting!
11 December 2009 at 06:43
Anonymous said…
Your information is false. Shellac is a secretion from the lac insect, and is thus a "natural" product. It is not a petrochemical like polyurethane and is not made from animal hides or hair. It is analagous to beeswax, which is secreted by bees. Are you shocked by beeswax? Shellac is GRAS (Generally recognized as Safe)by the FDA.
26 December 2009 at 08:42
Anonymous said…
Actually. Shellac is made from the secretions of a bug called a lac, that is then combined with alcohol. Shellac is a gum resin that is applied to pills and candies to make them shine, and it is a green way to shine floors.

Check it out on wikipedia.
2 March 2010 at 11:58
footiam said…
Thanks for the info.
2 March 2010 at 22:53
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