Emily Flores
You’ve probably eaten them countless times without a second thought. Yet a closer look at how certain everyday foods are made can stop you mid-bite. Go on—explore the stranger side of what fills your pantry and see how many you’d still keep on the table. Some ingredients sound harmless until you realize what they really are.
Commercial Bread
Many store-bought breads stay soft thanks to L-cysteine, a dough additive made from duck feathers or, in the past, human hair. It helps the bread rise evenly and last longer. Most brands now use lab-made versions, but a few still rely on the original method.
Chocolate Bars
The FDA allows minor traces of rodent hair and insect parts in chocolate, classifying them as “unavoidable defects.” These bits appear during cocoa processing rather than production. The amounts are too small to pose any danger, which doesn’t stop people from finding the idea unpleasant.
Vanilla Ice Cream
Some vanilla ice creams once used castoreum, a flavoring made from a beaver’s scent glands near the tail. It added a rich, musky note that mimicked real vanilla. Though safe and FDA-approved, it’s rare today because synthetic vanilla is cheaper and far less unsettling.
Beer
Traditional brewers use isinglass, a gelatin made from fish bladders, to clarify beer and give it that golden glow. It’s harmless but not vegan, since it comes from fish. While Guinness switched to alternatives, many cask ales still stick with this old-school technique.
Soft Drinks
Citrus sodas once relied on brominated vegetable oil to keep flavor evenly mixed. The ingredient contained bromine, a chemical also found in flame retardants. After years of debate, the FDA banned it in 2025. Big brands removed it earlier, leaving smaller ones scrambling to adjust.
Chicken McNuggets
Until 2016, McDonald’s used a silicone-based additive called dimethylpolysiloxane in its fryer oil to stop bubbling. The same substance appears in things like Silly Putty. It was safe but off-putting to customers, so McDonald’s dropped it during its clean-label makeover.
Red-Colored Candies
Many red candies, including Skittles, owe their color to carmine—a pigment made by crushing cochineal beetles. It takes about 70,000 beetles to make one pound. Several companies switched to plant-based dyes after consumer pushback, while others continue using the traditional insect-based formula for its vibrant shade.
Caviar
Imported caviar sometimes contains borax, a mineral also found in cleaning products, used to preserve firmness and shine. The ingredient has been banned in U.S. food for decades, though it remains legal in parts of Europe. Tighter import rules in 2025 limited its presence on American shelves.
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Store-bought grated Parmesan often includes cellulose, a powder made from refined wood pulp that prevents clumping. The FDA permits up to 4%, though past scandals revealed some brands used nearly double. The additive is safe to eat, even if the thought feels more like lumber than luxury.
Canned Mushrooms
The FDA allows up to 20 maggots per 100 grams of canned mushrooms as part of its contamination limits. The insects arrive during harvest and processing rather than packaging. Though harmless in small quantities, knowing the allowance exists tends to dampen the appetite quickly.