No more McPies

[Taro Toporific]

Banned colouring in McDonald's piesStraits Times / 9 Sept
TOKYO - McDonald's Japan said yesterday that it had found a banned food colouring in apple pies sold for nearly two months at some of its restaurants...
Whata shame...not that McDonald's fast food pies look like a fluorescent Dayglo pile of orangutan poop or anything, right?

[Big Booger]

What is up with all the coloring bans in Japan? Are coloring products that bad for your health?

Just wondering.

[NeoNecroNomiCron]

What is up with all the coloring bans in Japan? Are coloring products that bad for your health?

Just wondering.

Its strange its not just colouring, you will notice that when you came here you were probably advised not to bring nasal sprays and some cough medicine. There are very strict antistimulant laws in Japan and a wide varity of things are not sold here even over the counter medicine.

Its surprising though as they drink so much coffee here, even the children.

Red Bull is actually illegal here but i have found it in some pubs and small import shops. I am soooo addicted to red bull...

[Taro Toporific]

What is up with all the coloring bans in Japan? Are coloring products that bad for your health?

(Full disclosure: I freelance consult for the two major Euro flavor-&-fragrance houses.)

IT'S JUST a TRADE BARRIER.

The Japanese are taking a page from the Europeans' book, and banning all colors and flavors that are foreign.

As an American I've gotta giggle, most of these recent bans are Euro-colors-and-flavors (used in the products of multi-national companies). The recently banned in Japan colors-and-flavors ORIGINALLY gained their market share because the Europeans banned US colors-and-flavors. He, he...serves 'em right.

[Taro Toporific]

Red Bull is actually illegal here but i have found it in some pubs and small import shops. I am soooo addicted to red bull...

Ahh, but GENKI DRINKS are just liquid crack. They only ban Alien drinks not their own Speed-in-a-Bottle.

[Big Booger]

So Japanese coloring is fine? But the same color imported is not? Same with flavoring? I personally could give a rats ass less, coloring seems like such a trivial matter.. It doesn't add taste as far as I can tell, and is only an aesthetic issue.. (I could be wrong, as I am not a color or flavor specialist)

[Taro Toporific]

So Japanese coloring is fine? But the same color imported is not? Same with flavoring?

Most Japanese colorings are super-safe. In the Bad-old-Dayz (pre-1970s) in the States, Red Dye No. 2 caused too many lab rats to kick off before their time. Even the worst of the colorings such as Red Dye No. 2, were damn safe really, but don't say that to the rat lovers.

Japanese flavorings are also very mild and safe, EXCEPT for the Great Satan, MSG, which was invented here in Japan. MSG has killed more people than napalm.

Read about it in the thread Oriental food could make you go blind

[cliffy]

Color Makes a huge difference in manufactured foods!!!
I am an ex softdrink/cordial maker and created flavoring combo's that with a blind tasting (no looking just tasting) rated A+ across the board. Color (NO change to taste ) the same batch, shades of what was expected, red, green and bright blue , and everybody rated flavor CHANGES once they could see what they were tasting. No one liked blue kiwifruit but the same base with a green tinge (btw blue color and yellow) "best ever" was the usual comment. The tasters were from various walks of life, foodies and others but color caused most to believe flavor had changed. Most of my drinks were great sellers while the company was still running but consumers are very fickle and after the new styles and fads. We went broke, too small a market base and the Multinationals killed us in our sales area.

I have to admit that color confused me too, I also rated flavor changes that were not there with 'visual' tasteing

[Big Booger]

So Japanese coloring is fine? But the same color imported is not? Same with flavoring?

Most Japanese colorings are super-safe. In the Bad-old-Dayz (pre-1970s) in the States, Red Dye No. 2 caused too many lab rats to kick off before their time. Even the worst of the colorings such as Red Dye No. 2, were damn safe really, but don't say that to the rat lovers.

Japanese flavorings are also very mild and safe, EXCEPT for the Great Satan, MSG, which was invented here in Japan. MSG has killed more people than napalm.

Read about it in the thread Oriental food could make you go blind

Please tell me that the Pocket Burritos and Niku/Pizza Man have MSG... I'll be in deep shit if they do.