Why Food Grade Colours Matter

Tiny Land launched food grade paints and stains in 2017.

We were the first to do so - globally.  

You can find our famous Food Grade Wood stains here

So you may be wondering 'Are other wood stains Toxic'?  Some ask us 'Are your Wood stains food safe or food grade and what do these mean?'

These terms all mean different things and not all Wood Stains are created equal.  Let's get back to the beginning on colourant safety.

Different grades of paints

Here are 7 grades according to regulations for colourants and their UK regulator (your own country will regulate and control according to your country law).

1. Food Grade (FSA) For use in food

2. Food Safe (FSA) for printed inks and substances in contact with food e.g. food packaging

3. Cosmetic (OPSS) make up and face creams

4. Pharmaceutical (MHRA) medicines 

5. Toys

6. Industrial (HSE, REACH) applications such as plastics and decorating

7. Textile (REACH) fabrics 

Colourants are tested specifically for their intended use.  They are often the same chemically, but have been purified for more sensitive uses, as in order to make colours, specific ingredients are used in the manufacture and can later be removed to improve the safety levels.

When a colourant is to be used for industrial purposes for example - e.g. for application in plastics - it is tested specifically for it's application suitability and effectiveness (e.g. waterproofing or adhesion to the surface).  It is also tested for safety specific to the application.  Safety needs to be considered for those working with the colours to manufacture the product and dispose of any waste, but also once the colour has been applied and the product is used by the end user.

Safety testing is not done for uses other than it's intended use.  E.g. colours for plastics are not tested and therefore not classed as safe for when ingested by humans.

Following research by Tiny Land, we decided that we would use colours that have been explicitly tested as being safe for the most sensitive of uses - consumption by humans.  Other colourants are not under the same scrutiny and we simply do not know enough about them, however much more data is available for food colours due to their regular testing.  

This can create an environment where so much information about the dangers of food colours may seem to make them appear more dangerous than others..however it's important to remember that simply more information is available because more stringent testing has been done.  There is an information vacuum on the other uses or standards/grades when looking for their safety on digestion.

Food colourants are tested again and again and regulations are updated as we know more about them, mainly in them being eliminated from food use.  It may eventually get to the point that only plant-based (organic) or mineral (inorganic) colourants are allowed.  Plant based colourants typically have issues with stability (changing appearance under ph changes such as turmeric and red cabbage) or are very sensitive and bleach in the sun.  These issues are being addressed the more demand there is for natural colours.

Many colourants have been deemed as being unsafe for consumption - sometimes when taken in large volumes.  However as the regulators cannot know how much a colourant will be eaten, they eliminate the risk altogether. 

Some governments have a more risk-averse approach to food colours e.g. they would rather ban them altogether unless proven safe.  Countries such as the USA and Canada allow Titanium Dioxide in foods whereas the EU do not.  Interestingly the UK (since Brexit enables it to self-regulate) does allow Titanium Dioxide in food despite all having the same information.

Is this political - to have a competitive advantage?  

Tiny Land try to understand the known risks of ingredients and make an informed decision, as well as obviously complying with the regulations.  

So although Tiny Land complies with EU, UK, USA and Canadian Toy Safety regulations, we felt that the benchmark to pass them for Toys (e.g the absence of heavy metals) wasn’t enough.

For our wood stains, we looked at colourants available and had the choice of using those that just complied with the regulations, or those that also complied, but had been further purified for food use.

We chose the latter.

We also only use food as our base.

There are 2 exceptions to this where food grade ingredients are not available and that is the Sealant (food safe) and Primer (mainly food but has a cosmetic grade preservative).

All colourants used in the stains are named on the labels, for your information.