Everyone likes to think they’re savvy consumers. You know all the tricks to get the best deal on everything from your morning coffee to your favorite makeup, and you’re always looking for ways to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your buck. Oh, the things we do to look and feel good. We’d do it all for the sake of small, joyous pleasures...
Or not. What if you knew how the products you use daily were made? Would you still be willing to shell out big bucks for them?
Each product has a story behind it — sometimes fascinating, sometimes disturbing. We see something we like and we buy it, rarely stopping to think about where it comes from or how it’s actually made. But it’s our social responsibility to make better choices and ponder the implications of buying certain products and services. Let’s start from here!
It turns out there are plenty of things people would stop buying if they knew how they were made. We recently got hooked on a Reddit thread that sparked conversation, with thousands of comments sharing which companies have dark secrets in their closets. Some products are created in factories that treat their workers poorly. Others are made with ingredients that could be harmful to your health. And some are just straight-up gross!
From unethical manufacturing practices to crazy ingredients, this post may leave you thinking twice about what you put in your shopping cart from now on. But don’t worry, this isn’t an anti-capitalist rant — just a reminder that even though something might seem like an everyday necessity now, there’s always an ethically better option out there. Join us as we share what people have to say about it and shed light on the dark side of consumer goods!
#21
"Grocery store food. Even the “fresh” stuff. Not how it’s made, but how it gets to you. I worked as a picker in a grocery warehouse that serves seven states. Trainees get the night shift. 20 years ago, it paid $13/hr for four 10-hour days per week (6:30 pm to 5 am with an unpaid “dinner” break). Meat juice everywhere. The “wet aisle” sometimes flooded. With gray water. But all the rotting fallen vegetable matter made it a dark brown sludge that smelled like a sewer. The regular floor was concrete... under an eighth of an inch of pallet jack grease, tire residue, and general filth that resembled a solid mat of rubber. Did anything fall? Pick it up, and throw it on the jack. You’re evaluated on your number picked per hour, and your wrong picks... no time to clean up. If a container busts, there’s a repacking room. And no, they don’t wash anything. And this doesn’t even cover the injuries and another insanity. So many stories... Always wash your vegetables."
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64points
#22
throwaway36295224 said:
"Fruit smoothies. People think they're getting their daily dose of fruit, but that's mostly ice, yogurt, and high-sugar juice with only a few pieces of solid fruit. Source: I work at Boost."
"Fruit smoothies. People think they're getting their daily dose of fruit, but that's mostly ice, yogurt, and high-sugar juice with only a few pieces of solid fruit. Source: I work at Boost."
Reddit user replied:
"Same. Worked at a place called “Blenders.” I would tell everyone that what they’re getting is essentially a dessert/ice cream shake. See, you had yogurt it sounds, as your primary ingredient (we did too, but it was used more as a different choice), but ours was “ice milk”, which was basically ice cream."
"Same. Worked at a place called “Blenders.” I would tell everyone that what they’re getting is essentially a dessert/ice cream shake. See, you had yogurt it sounds, as your primary ingredient (we did too, but it was used more as a different choice), but ours was “ice milk”, which was basically ice cream."
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61points
#23
"This reminds me of a documentary series my dad once watched. Garlic. The garlic industry is a hell of a lot darker than most people would think. I don't remember everything, but apparently, a lot of Chinese companies that sell to restaurants overseas use prison labor. These inmates have to peel the garlic completely by hand, with no tools whatsoever. There were a few inmates missing fingernails. If I recall correctly, one man said that he had a friend who had to resort to using his teeth because he didn't have any nails left. They work unimaginably grueling shifts, in which they have to meet a quota for the day or face consequences. They get paid very little if anything at all. They all seemed so miserable. The series is titled "Rotten", you can find it on Netflix."
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59points
#24
hi_im_a_coffeeholic said:
"Mica products. I watched a documentary about mica mines in areas where child labor tends to be exploited and the interviewer asked this girl about her experience and she described how her sister died in the mine and she's still working there. Mica is in almost all beauty products and due to the change of hands it can be hard to determine if natural mica is actually ethically sourced. However, after watching some soap-making videos, I've discovered that Mad Mica sells sparkly stuff that neither puts children at risk nor destroys the environment with microplastics. For those who want their cake and want to eat it too."
"Mica products. I watched a documentary about mica mines in areas where child labor tends to be exploited and the interviewer asked this girl about her experience and she described how her sister died in the mine and she's still working there. Mica is in almost all beauty products and due to the change of hands it can be hard to determine if natural mica is actually ethically sourced. However, after watching some soap-making videos, I've discovered that Mad Mica sells sparkly stuff that neither puts children at risk nor destroys the environment with microplastics. For those who want their cake and want to eat it too."
akemikemss replied:
"I watched this Refinery29 video and was compelled to go through every makeup product I own. It takes a lot of research to find ethical or synthetic makeup products nowadays."
"I watched this Refinery29 video and was compelled to go through every makeup product I own. It takes a lot of research to find ethical or synthetic makeup products nowadays."
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58points
#25
"Menopausal people, if your doctor tries to prescribe you Premarin, ask for an alternative! The hormones in this drug are extracted from pregnant mare urine (it’s in the name, don’t have to look too hard). These horses are tied in a straight stall, hooked up to collection devices without adequate room to move or lay down. Once the foals are born, they are re-bred as soon as possible to continue the collection cycle. What happens to the foals? Some get sold/adopted to loving homes, the rest get shipped off to become IKEA meatballs. They’re just a byproduct all in the name of getting rid of your hot flashes. (Not a crazy PETA vegan, I just own a 21-year-old cast off from this industry who has had a lot of issues to work through as a result of his early life experiences.)"
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54points
#26
"Food. As an old, ex waiter most people would be shocked at how their food is prepared and the lack of quality/effort that goes into it. I’m not covering fine dining as I never worked in those establishments. I’m referencing the average dining experience for most people (ex Olive Garden, Applebee’s, you’re a local sports bar, etc.) everything was low cost and low quality. Watch the movie “Waiting” for an example, 80% of that goes on at an average chain restaurant."
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52points
#27
"Not exactly a product, but certain legal services. A lot of times lawyers are just filling in blanks from a template when drafting documents, and many problems can be resolved with a two-minute online search if you know where to look. If the public had the knowledge of and access to the resources available to lawyers, there's an awful lot people could figure out for themselves. Of course, that's not to say it's a good idea to DIY a legal matter if you don't know exactly what you're doing. Just that the prices people pay for certain legal services aren't commensurate with the amount of time and effort they actually take the lawyer to complete.
I am a lawyer myself, and I'll echo others' comments by saying that you can seriously screw yourself or your loved ones over by doing even something as simple as a will incorrectly. In matters above a certain level of complexity, it would be insane to even consider representing yourself. The point still remains that my clients might think twice about how much they paid me if they watched me draft their deed in six minutes."
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49points
#28
djdat said:
"Processed meats. Some of it is truly nasty. Most people don't think twice before shoving that burger in their mouths."
"Processed meats. Some of it is truly nasty. Most people don't think twice before shoving that burger in their mouths."
XxsquirrelxX replied:
"Eh, I don’t think the main issue lies with how it’s made. It essentially reduces waste. Pig snouts don’t sound appetizing but hey if someone wants to eat that, go ahead, less wasted pig and more full bellies. The real issue is how insanely unhealthy they can be with all the additives and sodium."
"Eh, I don’t think the main issue lies with how it’s made. It essentially reduces waste. Pig snouts don’t sound appetizing but hey if someone wants to eat that, go ahead, less wasted pig and more full bellies. The real issue is how insanely unhealthy they can be with all the additives and sodium."
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44points
#29
RedditDevoursSouls said:
"Honey. I'm thinking of the process of converting it, done by bees."
"Honey. I'm thinking of the process of converting it, done by bees."
Reddit user replied:
"Store-bought honey. I live in a rural town where a cowboy sells honey he harvested himself. I asked how he tames the bees, and he said he's never had to use a smoking gun or anything. Beekeeping runs in his family and he's been doing it for years, so I guess the bees trust him. Natural honey tastes better than any store-bought bottle I've ever had."
"Store-bought honey. I live in a rural town where a cowboy sells honey he harvested himself. I asked how he tames the bees, and he said he's never had to use a smoking gun or anything. Beekeeping runs in his family and he's been doing it for years, so I guess the bees trust him. Natural honey tastes better than any store-bought bottle I've ever had."
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44points
#30
"Certain signed artwork. Used to work at an art printing company where we did signature editions of certain pieces. Guess who did the signing me and some coworkers, we were all design and art majors so they just had us learn all the artist's signatures, we even had machines that could mimic the signatures too, I wish I had a picture of the devices they were pretty cool. It was in the fine print that we were doing it and was approved by the artists but I guarantee most people would never buy the prints if they knew the signatures were forged. So always read the fine print when buying items, especially "special" editions of stuff."
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43points
#31
todunsinane said:
"Silk."
"Silk."
dreadedxalchemy replied:
"Extracting raw silk starts by cultivating the silkworms on mulberry leaves. Once the worms start pupating in their cocoons, these are dissolved in boiling water..."
"Extracting raw silk starts by cultivating the silkworms on mulberry leaves. Once the worms start pupating in their cocoons, these are dissolved in boiling water..."
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42points
#32
Mroder1 said:
"I’ve worked in 2 different meat departments in 2 separate grocery stores. The meat in the case that has had work done, (marinated or like put into kabobs) is usually the old meat we didn’t sell that is about to go bad. That marinade is hiding how sh*tty the meat looks."
"I’ve worked in 2 different meat departments in 2 separate grocery stores. The meat in the case that has had work done, (marinated or like put into kabobs) is usually the old meat we didn’t sell that is about to go bad. That marinade is hiding how sh*tty the meat looks."
Reddit user replied:
"That bright red color is from carbon monoxide gas treatments and food coloring additives like Red #40, and lycopene extract. The actual color of the meat is dark reddish purple within an hour after removal from the carcass. Basically, ANY meat that is red is fake."
"That bright red color is from carbon monoxide gas treatments and food coloring additives like Red #40, and lycopene extract. The actual color of the meat is dark reddish purple within an hour after removal from the carcass. Basically, ANY meat that is red is fake."
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42points
#33
"Mirrors. It involves sending miners into deep arctic caves to retrieve the element Mirrorium. It's a crystal in its natural state and apparently, you could make a 10' x 10' mirror out of just a "pen tip" sized amount. I'm obviously making this up because I don't know how mirrors are made and they scare me."
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42points
#34
"Most low to mid-tier vodkas. I work at an industrial distillery where we make millions of gallons of very high-purity ethanol from corn. We have customers in the beverage market that literally just dilute our product to 80-proof or so, run it through a filter, and bottle it to sell. Those customers sell their products for anywhere from $8-$50+ for a liter. And you know what the main difference is? The more expensive vodka’s bottle is “fancier”. It’s almost all brand perception with these corn-based vodkas."
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41points
#35
"Fresh juices are not so fresh apparently. A friend whose family owns a mango orchard told me these companies buy the leftover stock that doesn't sell directly and leave the rest to strong artificial flavoring for uniform taste."
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35points
#36
"My job is to fumigate grains with phosphene. Wheat, barley, and oats are all susceptible to rusty grain beetle and weevil infestation. We are talking lbs of insects in a 600-ton bin. Well I gas those suckers and there are no means of removing them, so off to the mill, they go to make your bread. The gas itself is depleted by the atmosphere so it leaves zero traces behind, just 100s of thousands of little Beatles to enrich your food with a bit of protein. I’m assuming “the O natural” bread you all love is even extra spicy! Less processing. Now not all grain is infested but it does happen when the conditions are just right, I’m proud to say we do a great job of keeping the bugs to a minimum in my facility."
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35points
#38
"RVs. They aren’t insulated fully. Nothing is sealed correctly. All the electronics that are “fancy and new” are outdated and inefficient. The manufacturers use the cheapest materials possible AND all RVs are built in 8 hours. A vacation home. On wheels. In 8 hours!?"
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31points
#39
MasterMirror92 said:
"Parmesan cheese. An essential ingredient in its production is calf rennet, a mixture of enzymes produced only in young nursing calves."
"Parmesan cheese. An essential ingredient in its production is calf rennet, a mixture of enzymes produced only in young nursing calves."
Reddit user replied:
"I remember seeing a ParmesanGate video about the counterfeit Parmesan market -- the import part being only the cows in Italy have the bacteria in their bodies, which then ends up in the milk they produce, which is used to make authentic Parmesan cheese. If you're already eating cheese, I don't feel this is too gross of a stretch."
"I remember seeing a ParmesanGate video about the counterfeit Parmesan market -- the import part being only the cows in Italy have the bacteria in their bodies, which then ends up in the milk they produce, which is used to make authentic Parmesan cheese. If you're already eating cheese, I don't feel this is too gross of a stretch."
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29points
#40
"There’s an exhibit in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago that turned me off to store-bought lemon tarts completely. It was an exhibit of white powders. No fruit. Nothing is made in a lab. Once I found out how much Hugh fructose corn syrup is in pecan pie, I stopped eating it."
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29points
