Just when you think industrial food couldn’t get any more disgusting…

I watched a 60 Minutes segment on food flavoring. When talking about “natural flavorings,” Morely Safer made a comment about beaver butt glands. This reminded me of an article I’d recently read out on the Intertubes talking about this “natural flavoring” from a beaver’s anal gland called Castoreum, so I went looking for it (the article, not the flavoring). I couldn’t find that article, but did find this from Bruce Bradley:

Beaver Anal Glands: This bitter, very smelly, orange-brown substance is also known as castoreum. In nature it’s combined with the beaver’s urine and used to mark its territory. In the processed food world it’s commonly used in both food and beverages, typically as vanilla or raspberry flavoring. Watch out though, you won’t find it on the ingredient list since processed food manufacturers can legally call it “natural flavoring.”

Wikipedia concurs:

In the United States, Castoreum has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food additive, often referenced simply as a “natural flavoring” in the product’s list of ingredients. It is commonly used in both food and beverages, especially as vanilla and raspberry flavoring.

I’m not squeamish about rennet or bone marrow, yet for some reason, this really does bother me. Today is the day I vow to make my own vanilla extract from scratch.

As for that 60 Minutes segment, it deserves a post of its own. The gist was that there are food flavoring companies that manufacture flavors to emulate and exceed flavors in nature using chemicals and other “natural” ingredients. It only adds to the argument that the industrial food system is a fraud. The only upside is that if Soylent Green does come to pass, at least it will taste good. Here, check it out:

Enjoy!