From time to time, a scandal may arise that makes us think twice before we choose certain types of foods. It may be that a number of people got food poisoning from eating the specific item or perhaps a news story alerts us to the possibility that certain foods are bad for our health.
It doesn’t matter what you eat, you have to be alert to the possibility that there are certain disgusting ingredients that may be in the food. That is especially true of processed foods, which may contain some of the following items.
Arsenic – It is not unusual to hear about traces of arsenic being found in processed foods. It has been found in everything from juice to cereal and it is even sometimes found in beer! Some of the arsenic that may be found in beers and wine is due to the filtration process to remove leftover yeast. In reality, it is part of a natural process due to the fact that they are filtered by diatomaceous earth. If you want less arsenic in your drink, choose a non-filtered variety.
Human Hair – Amino acids are often used to extend the shelf life of prepared foods. One of the more common amino acids is L-Cysteine, which can be found in cow horns, chicken feathers and duck feathers. More than likely, however, the type that is used in food comes from human hair! In fact, it is reported that human hair is gathered from hair salons and barbershops in China to make the majority of the L-Cysteine used in your food products. If you want to avoid it, buy from your local baker and avoid fast food restaurants.
Anti-Freeze – If you look at the list of ingredients on the side of your soft drink, you may see something known as propylene glycol. This mysterious ingredient is a compound that is used for making a variety of products, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and antifreeze. It is even used in making electronic cigarettes! For those of you in Europe, you can rest assured that propylene glycol is not allowed in your beverage.
Beaver Anal Glands – A product known as Castoreum is commonly used as a natural flavoring in strawberry, vanilla and raspberry ice cream. It comes from the castor sacks of female and male beavers and for some reason, the FDA saw fit to approve it as a food additive! If you look at the list of ingredients and see “natural flavorings” included in the list, now you know what you’re eating.
Fish Bladder – There are some beers that use a product known as Isinglass to remove the haziness from the final product. It is produced from the swim bladder of a fish. Guinness is one of the beers that uses this ingredient regularly.
Coal Tar – People will go to great lengths to
avoid artificial food colorings, but they sometimes are hidden in
foods. Many of those food colorings are derived from coal tar,
including yellow #5 that was linked to hyperactivity. In Europe,
there is a warning label that alerts you to this problem but in the
United States, there are no such regulations.
Silicone Breast Implant Filler – Most of us already
realize that chicken McNuggets are not exactly the healthiest
choice for a meal. In reality, only about 50% of the McNugget is
actually chicken and the rest is made up of synthetic ingredients.
One of those ingredients is dimethylpolysiloxane, which you may be
familiar with because it is used in silly putty and for filling
breast implants.
Rodent Hair – It is difficult to avoid having rodents at many of the large warehouses where food is handled and packaged. That is why a certain amount of rodent hair is considered an unavoidable defect by the FDA. For example, it is permissible to have 22 rodent hairs for every 100 g of cinnamon, five for every 18 ounces of peanut butter and one for every 100 g of chocolate!
Beatles Shells – The food coloring known as natural red #4 may not raise any red flags on your end, but it should. The color is made by boiling the shells of a female beetle and sodium carbonate or ammonia. To produce 1 pound of dye, 70,000 bugs need to be used. It is used in many products and at one time it was even used by Starbucks for their frappuccinos.
Borax – In an unusual twist, both the United States and Canada have banned the use of borax as a food additive but it is still permitted in the European union. It is commonly used for controlling acidity and it can be found in certain caviar, Asian noodles and rice dishes.
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