The Dirty 25: Ultra-Processed Ingredients Exposed

A yellowish secretion harvested from the castor sacs — scent glands located near the anal glands — of beavers. The FDA classifies it as 'Generally Recognized as Safe' and allows it to be labeled simply as 'natural flavors.' You would never know.

A bright red dye made by boiling and crushing dried female cochineal insects. It takes approximately 70,000 crushed beetles to produce one pound of dye. Since 2011 the FDA requires it to be listed by name — not just 'natural color.'

An amino acid used as a dough conditioner in commercial bread. The cheapest and most common industrial source is human hair collected from barber shops and hair salons — primarily in China — or feathers from ducks and pigs. It is dissolved in acid to extract the amino acid.

A resin secreted by the female lac bug (Kerria lacca) in India and Thailand. The bugs secrete shellac to form a hard, protective cocoon on tree branches. The encrusted branches are harvested, heated, and processed — with the bugs filtered out, though microscopic traces remain.

A clarifying agent made from the dried swim bladders — the internal organ that controls buoyancy — of freshwater fish, typically sturgeon or carp. The dried bladders are processed and added to beer and wine during production to clarify the liquid.

Charred cattle bones — primarily sourced from India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan — that are incinerated at extremely high temperatures to produce a porous black carbon material. This is used as a decolorizing filter to make refined white cane sugar brilliantly white.

Vitamin D3 added to fortified foods is almost universally derived from lanolin — the greasy, waxy secretion produced by sheep skin to waterproof their wool. The lanolin is extracted from raw wool during processing, then exposed to UV light to convert it to vitamin D3.

A synthetic petroleum-derived compound that is the direct chemical cousin of ethylene glycol — the primary ingredient in automotive antifreeze. While propylene glycol is classified as non-toxic (unlike ethylene glycol), it is also the active ingredient in 'pet-safe' antifreeze formulations and aircraft de-icing fluid.