Careful What You Put in Your Mouth
You’re Eating Bugs, Bones and Hair, Even if You Don’t Know It
Animal Products You’re Eating Without a Clue
Everything from skin, bones, and internal organs are found in many of the products we consume daily. Glycerin is one obscure ingredient often used in products, and it’s usually made from animal leftovers.
Note: Non-members can read the full story at this link.
Condoms
While the primary ingredient in most condoms is latex (which is plant-based) most brands also contain casein and glycerin for lubrication. It’s used in both flavored and unflavored varieties. Casein and glycerin are both animal-derived products but it’s glycerin that’s made from animal leftovers such as fur, skin, bones, and hooves.
Lipsticks and Toothpaste
Other common products that contain animal glycerin include toothpastes, lipsticks, and a variety of cosmetics. Most of the time, the source of glycerin is not divulged on the label, so it can come from either animal or plants.
Bagels & Breads
Many bagel and bread products contain an enzyme called L. Cysteine, which is a dough conditioner and improves the consistency of dough. Unfortunately, it’s derived from poultry feathers, hog hair, and human hair. But of course it’s still considered “natural.”
Sugar
Got a sweet tooth? Then you might be eating… teeth and bones.
A variety of sugars contain bone char, a porous, black, granular material primarily used for filtrating and de-colorizing sugars. It’s produced by charring animal bones, usually cattle.
The bones are charred first and then sold to the sugar industry. It’s used in many types of sugar, including brown sugar and confectioner’s sugar, and used by prominent US sugar manufacturers.
White sugar has more bone char than other sugars — the whiter the sugar, the higher the volume of bone char used.
The UK, EU, Australia and other developed countries have largely phased out bone char in sugar production, but not the US.
How much bone char do you take in your coffee? One lump or two?
Red Candy, Gum, Jams, Syrups…
Although Red # 3 was banned in many EU and Asian countries, the only state in the USA to ban it is California. But I digress…
Most foods artificially colored red or pink today contain an animal product called carmine which contains red cochineal beetles. Slurpees, red icing, red jams, Popsicles, hard candy, cinnamon-flavored gum, cotton candy are just some of those foods… I could go on but you get the point. It’s also found in some dairy products.
Red cochineal beetles are dried, crushed and powdered to make carmine. Strawberry and Cherry-flavored syrups, jams, and a number of red-tinted sodas frequently use carmine.
However, if you think you can avoid ingesting insects by only avoiding reddish foods, you’d be mistaken. Any type of shiny confection contains a helping of a bug excretion called shellac. The shellac resin is secreted by the female lac bug in the forests of southern Asia, and it’s gathered, processed, and sold as dry flakes to make confectioner’s glaze. Most hard or shiny candies are coated with the stuff (thankfully not M&M’s.)
Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire sauce is versatile marinade and condiment used for everything from steaks to shepherd’s pie. The fermented concoction comprises a vinegar base flavored with a combination of sweeteners and seasonings, which may be made with dye and sugars, which, as you read above, contain red cochineal beetles and bone char.
Enjoy that steak!
Jell-O and Gelatin
It is widely known that Jell-O and gelatin are made from beef bones, specifically decaying animal hides, boiled crushed bones, and the connective tissues of cattle and pigs. If this disgusts you, switch to vegetarian gelatin because it’s made from plant-based gums or seaweeds.
Capsules
The same animal skin, bone, and tissue as in gelatin — is also widely used to create capsules for both over-the-counter and prescription medications. Most supplements and medications use gelatin tablets.
Animal parts found in pharmaceuticals products are usually called “inactive.” You’ll find it in anything that uses binders, fillers, and colorants.
Even more surprising, the animal-derived ingredients are sometimes used to stabilize vaccine formulations (flu shots/COVID shots, children’s vaccinations).
Beer and Wine
If you haven’t already quit drinking alcohol, you might after reading this.
Isinglass is a collagen (a gelatin-type substance) collected from the dried bladders of freshwater fish. It’s frequently used close to the completion of the brewing process for clarifying beers, wines, and non-alcoholic juice beverages. Prior to bottling, it’s used to remove unwanted substances such as yeast cells, bacteria, tartrates, proteins, tannins, and grape remnants. It basically accelerates the production process.
So, if you don’t care to literally drink fish while drinking like a fish, you may want to switch to vegan beers and wines.
Oh, and did I mention…Isinglass is also used as a paste in gluing applications? Yummy!
Cigarettes
Still smoking? How do you feel about beaver sacs?
A wide variety of pre-rolled cigarettes contain castoreum, which is harvested from the territory-marking castor sacs of beavers. To procure this product, beavers are euthanized, and their paste-filled castor sacs are smoked or sun-dried until they resemble dried figs.
Castoreum is also used in fragrances to create leathery scents, adding a sweet or smoky touch.
The ingredients in cigarettes kill beavers first, then you.
So, the next time you enjoy a beverage, eat a meal, consume alcohol, or use a condom, take a moment to consider what you’re actually putting in your mouth. Bon appétit!
