Petroleum-based chewing gum
Kaugummi auf Erdöl-Basis

Guest
Are the chewing gums from Migros also based on petroleum like most others?
Nowadays, the chicle content of conventional chewing gum is no more than a few percent, if at all. The rest of the chewing gum is made up of petrochemical polymers, plastics derived from crude oil. The plastic polyisobutylene in particular is often used as a chewing material due to its high elongation at break, temperature resistance and insensitivity to acids. This plastic is basically versatile and can be used as a sealant in the construction industry or as a paving adhesive.
The petrochemical chewing compound cannot be digested, but also does not stick together the stomach or intestines, as is often claimed. So there is no need to worry if chewing gum is accidentally swallowed.
Since I swallowed about a ton of chewing gum as a child, I'm not worried about my health. Still, I'd be kind of happy if there was eco chewing gum without this stuff.