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Queen Natural Extracts

Thanks Rebecca for asking about these food colourings on the market. As you can see below, the Queen website tells us that their products are 100% natural. I have researched the ingredients and below you will find the possible reactions of some of these ‘natural’ ingredients! For food colourings that are totally free of harmful ingredients, head over to Hopper or Hullabaloo for their Natural Food Colourings.

Natural Rainbow Food Colour (4 pack)

Queen Natural Food Colourings provide a 100% natural way to colour desserts, drinks, chocolates – anything you can think of! The pack contains convienient and unique dropper vials with colour matching lids for easy identification.

Ingredients:

Cherry Pink: Water, Alcohol 22%, Glycerine, Cochineal Extract.

Purple: Water, Propylene Glycol, Vegetable Carbon, Alcohol 5%, Cochineal Extract, Gum Acacia, Acetic Acid, Glycerine.

Wattle Yellow: Propylene Glycol, Turmeric Extract (Curcumin).

Garden Green: Plant Extract from Nettle and Spinach (Chirophylis) [contain: Water, Ethanol 21%, Sorbitol, Emulsifier (E433)], Turmeric Extract (Curcumin), Natural Flavouring, Alpha Tocopherol, Inverted Sugar Syrup.

Possible Reactions:

422 Glycerine also known as Glycerin or Glycerol  - headaches, high blood sugar levels, eye skin irritation in sensitive people.

120 carmines or carminic acid or cochineal - is a red dye derived from a beetle that is commonly linked to hyperactivity, some studies suggest it is possibly toxic to embryos.

477 Propylene Glycol Mono and Di Esters - this is derived from propylene glycol (propylene glycol - large doses can be toxic, kidney failure, depression of the central nervous system, liver damage, teratogen, on the NIH Hazards list. This is a humectant that is used to coat fruit and vegetables. The USA has placed a total recall of any medication containing this additive yet it is still permitted in food).

Ethanol or ethyl alcohol – while there are no possible reactions, it is the intoxicating agent in fermented and distilled liquors; used pure or denatured as a solvent or in medicines and colognes and cleaning solutions and rocket fuel; proposed as a renewable clean-burning additive to gasoline.

420 Sorbitol or Sorbitol Syrup - not suitable for diabetics, infants and young children, liver toxicity, gastrointestinal upsets, prohibited in food for infants and young children.

433 Polysorbate 80 or Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate - suspected carcinogen - more work needed.
Natural Flavouring Flavour - this is a broad ingredients listing. There can be over 50 chemical ingredients to make up just one flavour. These ingredients are often protected as the food companies claim them as their 'secret ingredient' so there is no requirement for them to be included on food labels, as well as the 5% loophole!