That’s right: If natural vanilla flavor is on the ingredient list of your ice cream, there’s a chance that you may indeed be eating beaver butt goop. The FDA allows pretty much any type of flavoring found in nature to be listed as “natural flavor” on ingredient labels, including edible bark, roots, and many animal products. Here’s a look at some common disgusting “natural” substances and how to avoid them. Castoreum. This is the manufacturers’ term for the secretions of a beaver’s castor sacs (located very near the animal’s anal glands). They’re nauseating no matter what you call ’em. Fortunately, castoreum is difficult to, um, extract, so most manufacturers opt for real vanilla instead.How to avoid it: Make sure your ice cream says “vanilla,” “vanilla extract,” or “vanillin” on the label, not “castoreum.” Rennet. This enzyme, used in cheese making, is derived from the stomachs of “slaughtered newborn calves”—a term that has more than one thing wrong with it.How to avoid it: Some cheese makers opt for vegetarian sources of the enzyme. Look for “microbial” or “vegetable rennet” on labels. L-cysteine. Found in many baked goods, this dough conditioner is commonly sourced from duck feathers, human hair, or pig bristles. Feel free to puke in your mouth a little.How to avoid it: There are some synthetic forms of L-cysteine that are vegetarian and kosher. Check the Vegetarian Resource Group for updates on companies that use this ingredient. Gelatin. The main sources of this ubiquitous ingredient are pigskin, cattle bones, and cowhide. Gelatin is used for much more than Jell-O—it can be a thickener for yogurt, ice cream, and some margarine and is commonly mixed in marshmallows and gummy candies.How to avoid it: There are some vegetarian versions, but a better bet is just to avoid gelatin altogether. Many high-quality dairy products don’t contain it. Cellulose. This fiber, used in everything from hamburger to salad dressings, often comes from wood pulp.How to avoid it: Not all cellulose is bad—it’s actually a natural component of plant cells. But it’s difficult to tell which cellulose comes from grass and what’s from bark. But fast-food chains are rumored to use the woody version of cellulose in meat, which should give you another reason to avoid them. MORE: What “Natural” Really Means
