Tartrazine

[yiki]

I've recently got a couple of blisters to test your product. No complaints here, even though they could perhaps be a bit stronger per drop.

I'm worrying about the use of toxic food coloring. Especially the use of Tartrazine. To say that this chemical is not healthy would be and understatement:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartrazine

Tartrazine appears to cause the most allergic and intolerance reactions of all the azo dyes, particularly among asthmatics and those with an aspirin intolerance.[8] Symptoms from tartrazine sensitivity can occur by either ingestion or cutaneous exposure to a substance containing tartrazine.[citation needed] Symptoms appear after periods of time ranging from minutes to 6 to 14 hours.[9]

A variety of immunologic responses have been attributed to tartrazine ingestion, including anxiety, migraine,[9] clinical depression, blurred vision, itching, general weakness, heatwaves, feeling of suffocation, purple skin patches, and sleep disturbance.[10]

Tartrazine has been banned in several countries for years and the EU is planning to phase out this coloring agent. Even if kava should become legal again in the EU, your product might still be facing import bans because of the coloring.

Is there no healthier alternative ?

 

[Crunked]

What are the "weird sweeteners"? Do you mean sorbitol? It "occurs naturally in many stone fruits and berries" (wiki) and is often derived from corn syrup. It doesn't have the insulin spiking and fattening effects of sucrose (sugar), nor is it cavity inducing. It can have a laxative effect on some people, when taken in excess. Erythritol is a better tolerated choice, but that is a question for the manufacturer.

I am glad that Kava Candy is sugar free. To my mind it gives it a big advantage over kava extracts. I wouldn't buy it if it was sweetened with sugar.

 

[yiki]

Alright, i thought Sucralose was bad for your health, but apparantly, it is rather well tolerated. I've changed the thread title accordingly, thanks!

 

[yiki]

I'm a bit dissapointed that i have not recieved a reply from you steve. I would love to continue buying your product, but i also don't want to wrack havoc on my health. This thread is not meant to damage your business, i'm just bringing this to your attention.

 

[The Kap'n]

It looks like he may have overlooked your post, as a similar question was brought up in a few threads below. I bet he'll get back with you though.

 

[yiki]

You mean the post about sweeteners? I guess i'm more concerned about the yellow dye, which appears to be pretty nasty stuff. I did some research myself and it seems that you can achieve the same colortone by combining two more healthy dyes. I'd be willing to pay more for a healthy product. I understand that the color is part of the overall brand and it is most certainly reasonable - but why use poisonous food coloring? That's something i would expect from a cold, heartless mega corp. but not from a company like ozia.

And it appears as if Steve has choosen to ignore this topic, which is a pitty because i believe that my concerns are valid.

 

[Steve]

Hi Yiki - sorry, not ignoring at all...I actually just read this post again (did not realize the topic had changed; my fault). Yes, regarding the dye it is a way to make the candy and orange color. Without it, it would be brown and much less attractive. You definitely have valid concerns for sure. Through the manufacturing process, I had to make a lot of decisions on how to move the product forward and get something on the market. I used to have an all-natural powder pack using Reb-A and other "better" ingredients...I hope to move in this direction, but I guess we have to start somewhere. Using two or three ingredients to do the same job increases production costs by quite a lot. I choose to invest in high quality kava, lemon balm, and chamomile as I build the business.

Tartrazine is approved by the FDA and used in *tons* of products including tablets, capsules, drugs, and food. As a percentage, the candy has very little dye but it is a trade-off for sure. Had I put something else in there, there maybe other tradeoffs (including possible health interaction tradeoffs) to think about. Although the overall incidence of FD&C Yellow No. 5 (tartrazine) sensitivity in the general population is low, it is frequently seen in patients who also have aspirin hypersensitivity. It is tough because kava itself is on the FDA watch list so in their eyes, kava would be banned way before Tartrazine. If one has hypersensitivity to aspirin, then Tartrazine would not be the best thing or it should be limited.

Thanks Yiki for your honest feedback and appreciate your concern...hopefully in the future, I can continue to roll out better product(s) with the most desirable ingredients and flavors.

Aloha,
Steve

 

[yiki]

Thanks Steve for your detailed reply, i appreciate it!

It's not only general sensitivity or pseudo allergic reactions which concern me though, but i understand that you had to start somewhere and it is good to see that my concerns are taken seriously. I hope your product will grow to the point as to make a more natural candy a possibility!