Customer Reviews

India Tree Silver French Dragees

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Unlike the first reviewer, I did not find a plastic center in the middle of the SILVER dragees I just purchased. Maybe the multi-colored ones are made differently for whatever reason... At first, I was sad that the bottle says "for decoration only", but after going to the India Tree FAQ page, I found out why:

20. Why does the label say "For Decoration Only" on the Silver Dragees? What is in them?

Dragees are a very old European tradition and have been used in Europe and the United States for years to decorate wedding cakes and other fine pastries. The FDA in its Compliance Policy Guide 7117-03 classifies silver dragees in the following way: "When small silver balls known as 'silver dragees' are sold exclusively for decorating cakes and are used under conditions which preclude their consumption as confectionery, they are not considered to be in the category of food or confectionery."

Because they are not categorized for food or confectionery, the FDA does not want the manufacturer to list the ingredients. However, it may be helpful to know that they are made mostly of sugar. They may also contain small amounts of gum Arabic, wheat flour, artificial coloring, and/or a very thin coating of silver.

The European Union recognizes silver as a legitimate color additive and states that "small amounts of it consumed on special occasions are not harmful." Silver appears in medicines, cough drops and tooth fillings as well as in our water supply in controlled amounts. It is used to purify city drinking and swimming pool water. It occurs naturally in the soil in which produce is grown, and thus finds its way into the vegetables that we eat.

You may wish to access the FDA ruling cited above on the web. You may also wish to visit the website of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR CAS #7440-22-4) for more information on the effect of small amounts of silver on health.

These silver Dragees added just the right touch to our holiday cookies. We made mitten cut-out cookes and Christmas tree cut-out cookies. They added sparkle to the mitten cuffs and added beautiful silver ornaments to our trees. They were eaten by my family and nothing happened. I remember eating these as a kid...though the jar says not to eat them...not sure why...wish they would explain.

I received the dragees last night and was disappointed to see "For decoration only". Thank goodness I read the reviews to find out why it says so. Then I tasted a couple. They are just sugar:). They actually taste better and softer than some of the stale pearls I bought at the craft store. Whew.... Will definitely use them on my cupcakes. They are lovely.

I just bought the multicolored ones locally, and found them to have what looked like a small, hard plastic pellet in the middle! Non-edible. Who the heck wants non-edible cookie decorations!?