Anyone who has read food labels knows that sometimes our food is full of hard-to-find chemicals. Most of them are considered "safe," but some of these chemicals are of concern to consumers, and one additive that can be found in your food is Chemical cleaning fluid methylene chloride, also known as DCM.

Chemical cleaning fluid methylene chloride is a colorless liquid with a density heavier than water, made from methane gas or wood alcohol. Dichloromethane is used in various industrial processes in many industries, such as paint stripping, pharmaceuticals, paint stripper manufacture, metal cleaning, metal degreasing, adhesive manufacturing, adhesive use, polyurethane foam production, film substrate manufacturing, poly Carbonate resin production, solvent distribution and formulation, and separation and extraction for food and beverage manufacturing.

It is used in the food and beverage manufacturing industry as a food additive, to process spices, to decaffeine from unroasted coffee beans and tea, and to make hops extract for beer and other flavoring agents in the food and beverage industry. Chemical cleaning fluid methylene chloride can be used as a fumigant for strawberries and grains, a degreening agent for citrus fruits, coffee solvent extraction, cocoa solvent extraction and spice solvent extraction. It is also used as a thinner for color additives and as an ink for marking fruits and vegetables.