If You Don't Know What Castoreum Is, You Better Read This...
In my quest for more knowledge about the "foods" we are offered at the grocery store, I stumbled across this gem: Castoreum.
Castoreum is labeled as "natural flavoring" in cakes, ice cream, cookies, and flavorings such as vanilla and strawberry. While this is technically a "natural" flavor, I believe you have the right to know where this product is sourced.
BEAVER BUTT! That's right. BEAVER BUTT. Castoreum is extracted from the anal sacs they use to spray their territory and mark it as their own. Apparently, it is actually not a stinky brown slime, it is a good-smelling brown slime!
Knowledge is power, and if you didn't already know this tidbit, well, now you do and can make informed decisions. As a person who agrees whole-heartedly with hunting, using all the parts of a kill, and sourcing natural ingredients, I also believe there should be a heck of a lot more transparency about ingredients simply listed as "natural". I question how so much of this product is sourced and will be doing more research on my own, as I encourage others to do as well.
http://www.businessinsider.com/castoreum-used-in-food-and-perfume-2013-10
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castoreum
The catalyst for my research? I bought an ice cream cone from Burger King, something anyone who knows me knows I am not in the habit of doing, but it was sooooo hot! I began eating the cone part and got an extra "ingredient":
Of course, it was an accident. The replacement cone was without the little paper so the paper inside the first one was clean. But it got the wheels turning as to what might be in the ice cream since it was only $1. To be clear, I cannot tell from the ingredients list on Burger King's website that it contains castoreum. It says "natural and artificial flavoring". I have to admit, it tasted reallllly good. That's the hook. Faux foods get us everytime.
Well that just got real nasty, real quick. Really makes you wonder why they spend so much time figuring out how to turn something so nasty into something the FDA would call food.
I've learned a lot about foods over the past 4 years. Gotta say this is a new one for me though 🤢
I agree 100%! 🤢🤢🤢
OMGodness! I had heard this word before in passing but never once thought... oh Lord, not even going to say it.
Once again you have to ask... can you trust the government and the FDA?
And people think gardeners and homesteads, people who want to live away from the general population are CRAZY? UGH!
Yes, I'd like to have a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a cone, please... Oh, and add an extra helping of castoreum to the top just for good measure.... ick!
thank you for sharing
I thought it would be some kind of re-configured castor oil to make the ice cream smoother....boy was I surprised!
It seems like every day I am learning some new fan-dangled way the FDA is giving us some kind of ridiculous ingredient or additive to our food.
What's sad is we don't know ALL of them and then, how long have we been blindsided and consuming this?
You may already know of this one, it got alot of coverage acouple years ago when it was discovered that Starbucks was using it (bugs for red food coloring):
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal
nasty. I read one that pointed out that the FDA is allowing the companies to say openly on the package that "this product contains NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP", but it does. They call it corn syrup. Some will list both. So a sucker who buys just based of the label (which must only be talking about the actual packaging) believes the flavorful chemicals inside do not contain HFCS.
LOL I ran across that years ago and it sure made me go off anything I was not making myself! Grow it you know it! Sharing for others ;-)
I'm not sure how I ever missed this Lol!
🤢
That is one of my pet peeves....seeing the words "natural flavorings" in the ingredient list. What "natural flavorings"? It is too vague to even be considered an ingredient. I guess if they told the truth, nobody would eat it---and rightly so! Good post!
That pisses me off!! LOL I am eating what??? Thanks for sharing.
You're welcome! The more ya know🌈⭐
Thanks for Share! like your post and love it!
I really did not know :)) Thank you for telling me!
good work..!!
Well this has really made me rethink some food choices I've made 😕 Thanks for sharing 👍🏻