When it comes to certain foods, some people live by the tried and true, “ignorance is bliss,” rule. That would be a huge mistake when it comes to the foods on this list! They say knowledge is power, and once you learn about the processes and ingredients used for these popular foods, you’ll have the power to choose something different.
1. Hot Dogs
Sure, you probably know that hot dogs consist of animal trimmings, and not necessarily actual meat from one specific animal. But do you know what counts as “animal trimmings?” According to the FDA, it could be any combination of low-grade muscle tissue, fatty tissues, head meat, animal feet, animal skin, blood, liver, and other edible slaughter by-products. So… there’s that. If the ingredient list doesn’t turn you off, the process of making hot dogs might. Everything is blended together into a paste of sorts and then squeezed into casings often made of animal intestines. Yeah. Not the most pleasant thing to think about.
2. Gummy Bears
What’s not to love about one of America’s favorite snack foods? Well, how about the fact that before all of the fun shapes, colors, and flavors are added, the manufacturers have to grind up animal skin and carcasses and boil them in water to make the gelatin used in gummy bears? If you’re willing to look past that small fact, then by all means, enjoy some gummy bears!
3. Jelly Beans
Ok, most jelly beans are fine, but the weirdly popular gross flavored jelly beans pack one heck of a secret. Whether it’s Bertie Bot’s Every Flavor Beans from Harry Potter or Jelly Belly’s “Bean Boozled” box, there are some… unique flavors. Vomit, ear wax, and rotten egg, to name a few. Do you ever wonder just how they got those flavors into the jelly bean? If you guessed that they used the real thing, you wouldn’t be far from the truth. The company uses a machine called a gas chromatograph that heats up the original object, thus creating vapors. The machine maps out the chemical makeup of the skink and translates it into flavors, which is then made into Jelly Belly flavors. If the gross names on these candy beans don’t turn you off, surely the process in obtaining these flavors will!
4. Ground Beef
A few years ago, there was a huge controversy about the meat product McDonald’s uses. Specifically, details came out about a pink sludge that was shaped into patties used in a lot of major fast food chains. What most people failed to realize, is that this same material – mostly addatives and lean materials from other animal parts – is found in most of the ground beef you find at grocery stores.
Watch the video below for more disturbing food processes that you never knew about!