Wednesday, February 20

Weird Wednesday: 10 Weird and Gross Ingredients in Processed Foods

If you haven't been weirded out already today, hold onto something because you're about to be. Not just weirded out but just plain grossed out and I must say if you want to ever eat processed foods again then NOW is the time to turn away! Okay....you have been sufficiently warned, your future eating is in your own hands. Proceed with caution!




By now everyone should know that processed and fast foods are not the bastions of nutrition, but that shouldn’t make the following ingredients found inside them any less revolting, inside or outside your home kitchen. This list sends a clear message: when a packaged food contains more than five ingredients and includes some that are difficult to pronounce, stay away or at the very least do a bit of research so that you are fully aware of what's in your food. 



Fertilizer in Subway Sandwich Rolls
While chemical fertilizers inevitably make it into our produce in trace amounts, you would not expect it to be a common food additive. However, ammonium sulfate can be found inside many brands of bread, including Subway’s. The chemical provides nitrogen for the yeast, creating a more consistent product.




Beaver Anal Glands in Raspberry Candy
The anal glands of a beaver, conveniently euphemized as castoreum, are a common ingredient in perfumes and colognes but are also sometimes used to — believe it or not — enhance the flavor of raspberry candies and sweets.


Beef Fat in All Hostess Products
While this may not bother the most ardent omnivore, others are shocked to discover that their favorite childhood treats contain straight-up beef fat. The ingredient comes included a list of other oils that may or may not be used, so it is always a gamble! It is enough to make some of us take a second look.


Crushed Bugs as Red Food Coloring
After killing thousands at a time, the dried insects are boiled to produce a liquid solution that is turned into a dye using a variety of treatments. Some people worry that the coloring — often called carmine or carminic acid — could be listed as a “natural color,” disguising the fact that there are bugs in the product.


Beetle Juice in Sprinkles and Candies
You know that shiny coating on candies like Skittles? Or the sprinkles on cupcakes and ice cream sundaes? Well, they get that glaze from the secretions of the female lac beetle. The substance is also known as shellac and commonly used as a wood varnish.


Sheep Secretions in Bubble Gum
The oils inside sheep’s wool are collected to create the goopy substance called lanolin. From there, it ends up in chewing gum, under the guise of “gum base”, but also is used to create vitamin D3 supplements.


Human Hair and/or Duck Feathers in Bread
What’s in your morning bagel? They contain either human hair or duck feathers, and it’s your guess as to which. The substance, called L-cysteine or cysteine, is used as a dough conditioner to produce a specific consistency. While artificial cysteine is available, it is cost prohibitive and mostly used to create kosher products.


Coal Tar in Red-Colored Candy
Coal tar is listed as number 199 on the United Nations list of “dangerous goods,” but that doesn’t stop people from using it in food. The coloring Allura Red AC is derived from coal tar and is commonly found in red-colored candies, sodas and other sweets.


Calf Stomach in Many Cheeses
In Europe, all cheeses are labeled as either suitable or not suitable for vegetarians because in  other countries cheeses are made using rennet, which is the fourth stomach of a young cow. In the United States, people are left to guess about the stomach-content of their cheese.


Sand in Wendy’s Chili
Sand is hidden in Wendy’s chili as a name you might remember from high school chemistry class: silicon dioxide. Apparently they use sand as an “anti-caking agent,” perhaps to make sure the chili can last for days and days over a heater. 

So the moral of this sad little article is, "Be aware what you are eating and feeding your family, you may be more shocked than you think."

Read, research and decide what's best for you and your loved ones...
...you'll be glad ya did! REALLY!

~THE DOMESTIC CURATOR~
RONDA



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