There’s a good chance that many readers are mourning the red flags being risen in regards to the product, Fireball whiskey, manufactured by Louisiana located Sazerac Co. The drink has often been popular given the proclivity of wedding photos showing the beverage being consumed straight from the bottle, as well as sales of the product going from $1.9 million in 2011 to $61 million in 2013. The red flags being raised are a problem for the company, however, even if the company is claiming otherwise at present. European countries are doing a recall of the batches of Fireball whiskey that contain too high of levels for their standards of the chemical, propylene glycol (the same chemical found in antifreeze).
Apparently there are three different recipes for Fireball whiskey, each containing different levels of the propylene glycol. Europe has the strictest regulations on how much of the chemical can be included. The two other recipes are for the United States and Canada. Fireball whiskey’s manufacturer is touting the safety of its whiskey and maintaining it will not be recalled in the United States and Europe is only recalling the batches made from the North American formulas. The FDA in the United States claims propylene glycol is “generally recognized as safe’ and found in many food colorings and flavors made in the United States. In fact, the chemical manufactured by Dow Chemical Company is in frozen dairy products, seasonings, frostings, confections, nuts and nut products, other various foods, and e-cigarettes. Dow claims the chemical is safe for human ingestion and different than ethylene glycol. Does Dow’s claims, as well as FDA approval make most feel safer ingesting this chemical? If so, the high consumption of Fireball and other products containing propylene glycol shall go on with abandon. Many, however, may question whether an agent used in antifreeze for automobiles and diesel trucks, as a deicing agent for airport runways, and paint and plastics manufacturing, should also be in products heavily consumed by humans. This may well wind up being another of those products approved by the FDA, and touted safe by their makers (the same makers who make lots and lots of money by their sales) that could be found to cause health issues in the future. It might be wise to abstain from products containing propylene glycol that are not a real necessity in one’s life…unless one is ready to state that those Europeans just have two high of health standards.