Packaged Food Disgust

Forbes had an article called "6 Disgusting Things You're Eating (And You Don't Even Know It!)" this week. They started off with the bit about red food coloring coming from ground up beetles. I knew that was the source of coloring in red velvet cake, so Starbucks using it didn't freak me out. The remaining six items did make me cringe and be grateful that I don't eat some of these items.

Lanolin is routinely used to make chewing gum. It's also used to prevent metal from rusting. It's a side product of sheep sheering, basically it's sheep sweat.

Castoreum is used in vanilla and raspberry ice cream. Sadly, it's listed as "natural flavoring;" not a very clear definition. It's basically beaver musk or beaver anal gland secretions.

L-Cysteine is a non-essential amino acid that can be synthesized by the body. It is used as a dough conditioner for breads. 80% is derived from duck feathers, leaving the other 20% to come from human hair, pigs' bristles and hooves.

I was grossed out enough by those to make sure that I will double-down my efforts to read labels and to eat non-processed foods.