‘Thou shall commit adultery’– what a different world it would be if we were to follow the 10 commandments of the Wicked Bible. This typo in the 1631 edition of the Bible is still a classic example of how the omission of a word can completely change the meaning of a sentence. A lesson the Mail on Sunday would do well to revisit!
Despite our best efforts to clear up the confusion around what has now come to be known as 'glittergate', an article in yesterday's Mail on Sunday incorrectly claims I said, in my previous blog, that non-toxic glitters are ok to eat. Those of you who take a little more care when reading my original blog will notice that what I actually said was: 'Remember that non-toxic doesn't mean that you can eat it'– not can’t.
So, for the avoidance of any doubt:
- Only glitter clearly labelled as ‘edible’ and made of permitted ingredients, should be added to food that is intended to be eaten.
- ‘Non-toxic’ and inedible glitters that have been tested and meet the requirements of the legislation on food contact materials, can be applied to food for decoration, but they should not be eaten.
- Other ‘non-toxic’ glitters that do not meet the requirements for food contact materials should not be applied to food – whether eaten or not.
You can find out more in the Food Standards Agency's latest guidance.
Fortunately the Mail on Sunday has corrected the error on its website but these retractions aren’t quite so easy in print – something the Wicked Bible printers Robert Barker and Martin Lucas will be familiar with.
