I wrote this post a while ago, and saved it for one of those occasions when the blogging muse doesn't come to work on Sunday. But since Har Mahdeem mentioned the chewability of sapodilla latex in his talk at our club this month, the topic is suddenly timely!
Back in the day--- way back--- gum was made from chicle, the latex sap of the sapodilla tree. Like many other natural substances, this was replaced somewhere along the way by a petroleum product, in this case polyvinyl acetate. That's right, gum is now made from plastic.
Actually, many manufacturers list the ingredient "gum base", which may contain any of "petroleum, lanolin, glycerin, polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, petroleum wax, stearic acid, or latex". Yum. Also, you often get artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or acesulfame K, and BHA (butylated hydroxytolulene, also used in embalming),
One major gum manufacturer, Glee Gum, held out for a while, but eventually went to a gum base containing a "mix of chicle, natural gums, rubbers, resins, and waxes." The blogger at "My Plastic-free Life", who investigates such matters, contacted Glee and was told that the company is working on developing an all-natural gum base with no synthetics. but at this point, all major gum manufacturers use synthetics in their gum base. In fact, there are only a handful of gum base providers and they won't even provide complete information to the chewing gum manufacturers about ingredients.
But all is not lost. Online shoppers can find Train Gum, a boutique product ("wrapped by hand in a re-usable muslin bag") that lists five ingredients: chicle (yes!), sugar, plant-derived oils (um, OK, I guess), rice flour, and water. It can be bought online, currently in five flavors, for a boutique price. A similar product is Chicza, sold at Amazon and perhaps at Whole Foods. If anyone tries one of these, send us a report. And deposit the gum in your compost after use.
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