Episode Details

How much edible glitter is too much? The serving is a 0.1-gram pinch, and the FDA already set the pigment ceiling. Used as decoration, you run out of drink long before you hit a limit. The listed serving is 0.1 grams per drink — double it for a richer color — so a 10 g jar pours about 100 servings. FDA color-additive rules cap mica-based pearlescent pigments at 1.25% of a food's weight, and a decorating pinch sits far below that ceiling. The practical limit is visual: past a double pinch, drinks turn cloudy, not sparklier. In this episode: - The one-pinch serving — 0.1 grams — that stretches a 10 g jar to about 100 drinks. - The FDA's 1.25% pigment cap (21 CFR 73.350), translated into plain kitchen logic. - What the safety data sheets actually say about swallowing glitter — route-precise, no spin. - The lab-test number some sites misuse as a "safe amount," and why this show won't repeat it. Who should skip it: if your household avoids color additives — by choice or on a doctor's advice — the right amount of glitter is zero, and your desserts will taste exactly the same without it. Try the serving math yourself: MONÉGASQUE Iconic Gold 10 g edible drink glitter, on Amazon — about $15 at publish; check the listing for today's price. The regulation quoted in this episode: FDA 21 CFR 73.350, mica-based pearlescent pigments — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-73/subpart-A/section-73.350 Produced with AI-crafted hosts. Full transcript on the episode page. New questions answered every week at The Monégasque Table.