Who is ready to hear some real horror stories about the way food is processed? Some people really don’t want to know how sausages are made because frankly, it’s kind of gross.
From rodent-based food additives to chemical preservatives and non-food items that appear on our dishes, we generally have no idea what actually goes into their manufacture. Comrades, it is time to review what is behind the curtain.
1. Canned mushrooms
dinner, but it’s not worth it when you realize that the FDA [US Food and Medicine Administration] has legally specified that each can can contain 20 or more larvae.
Yes, larvae, those hairy white worms that grow on rotten meat, or apparently mushrooms too. There are acceptable levels of insects, rodent hair, and other “objectionable material” for all of our processed foods, but mushrooms are one of the worst offenders.
2. Chicken nuggets
The rumor that chicken nuggets are made with a pink silty substance is false, but we can’t say that the actual process for making them is more palatable.
The meat they are based on is actually ground chicken breast. But, it only makes up about 50% of the nugget, the rest is ground chicken skin, bone, blood vessels, and connective tissues, plus fat. They also contain some salt, sugar, starch, and “binders and fillers,” whatever they are.
3. Artificial cream for coffee
Non-dairy liquid creams have the color and consistency of cream, but are entirely oil-based. That velvety mouthfeel is achieved with thickening and emulsifying agents like carrageenan, an ingredient that tends to cause inflammation and digestive problems.
Other texturizers include cellulose gel and cellulose gum, which are “tasty fillers” derived from wood pulp or cotton. Powdered cream has so little to do with real cream that it is even flammable, and that in addition to its unpleasant taste.
4. Cheese
You want to convince yourself that cheese is vegetarian, right? Without animals that have to die in their production? Well that’s not always the case. Most cheeses contain a compound called rennet, which is traditionally found in the stomach of nursing calves.
It may not be impossible to find cheese that you can eat without disgust. About 80% of the rennet used today has been genetically engineered by inserting cow DNA into certain bacteria, fungi and yeasts.
5. Grated cheese
If you’ve ever used cheese that is grated and packaged for convenience, you may have noticed that it has a distinctly different texture than the cheese you crumble yourself. This is because grated cheese contains a significant amount of wood pulp.
To be fair, natural grated cheese would become solid again during shipping if it weren’t for some kind of desiccant material. But actually, it might be worth investing the time to grate some fresh cheese at home when you need it.
6. Beer
Sometimes there is nothing better than a cold glass of beer. There are different types and textures of beer, but the beautiful amber versions hide a gross secret.
As if the fermentation process wasn’t gross enough when you really think about it, beer includes an ingredient called fishtail to help make the product clearer and brighter. Fishtail is a type of jelly made from dried fish bladders.
7. Vanilla ice cream
Made fresh and homemade, real ice cream contains milk, sugar, cream, eggs, and flavorings. Of course, mass-produced ice cream has to be made differently, which is why ice cream from the grocery store may contain a stabilizer called castoreo.
It’s not a big deal, but you probably want to know that the cast is secreted from the anal glands of beavers. But don’t worry, this product is surprisingly difficult to harvest, so it doesn’t get used much.
8. Frozen meals
Frozen meals are a handy practice (forgive the redundancy) if you’re in a hurry but need a little fuel. They come in a wide variety, both with and without sides. Some even contain desserts.
However, these foods are often packed with salt and artificial preservatives designed to make the food edible when it is finally thawed. By the time you heat up and eat your food, it has likely been frozen for several years and never looks like the picture on the box.
Conclution
We warn you! If you ever feel like eating again, you will probably steer clear of these eight things.
Even though some of the grossest products are perfectly safe to eat, humans have a kind of revulsion that makes it really difficult to drink a bladder of powdered fish or happily sip a beaver’s anal juice from a cone. At least with beer, the more you drink, the less you worry about what’s in it.
