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!
#41
FundyFisher said:
"Gelatine."
"Gelatine."
FundyFisher replied:
"Imagine a giant vat filled with thousands of pig skins, being melted with chemicals (think breaking bad, body in a barrel) the protein is melted away from all the other bits and pieces and separated. The protein is cleaned and deodorized, this is gelatine. The rest is animal goo that gets dumped out. They do this process with bones, cow parts, horse parts, and fish skins too, but multiple animals are never melted together, it’s a gelatine factory, not a barnyard."
"Imagine a giant vat filled with thousands of pig skins, being melted with chemicals (think breaking bad, body in a barrel) the protein is melted away from all the other bits and pieces and separated. The protein is cleaned and deodorized, this is gelatine. The rest is animal goo that gets dumped out. They do this process with bones, cow parts, horse parts, and fish skins too, but multiple animals are never melted together, it’s a gelatine factory, not a barnyard."
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27points
#42
Cozmicshade said:
"KFC Mac n’ cheese. I worked there 16 years ago when I was 14 and have never once been slightly inclined to go near it."
"KFC Mac n’ cheese. I worked there 16 years ago when I was 14 and have never once been slightly inclined to go near it."
Cozmicshade replied:
"In order to serve you have to peel off an inch of burnt grease and it comes off like a piece of rubber. It’s baked Mac n’ cheese and the grease cooks out and burns on top. And to get through it on the sides you have to hammer a spatula with your other hand to get through it."
"In order to serve you have to peel off an inch of burnt grease and it comes off like a piece of rubber. It’s baked Mac n’ cheese and the grease cooks out and burns on top. And to get through it on the sides you have to hammer a spatula with your other hand to get through it."
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25points
#43
"Crab chips. The one you get from an Asia shop or restaurant. They boil crabs while they are alive. This produces a lot of foam on top of the boiling water. It gets separated, pressed into chip form, and dried. After I knew that I stopped eating them."
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20points
#44
"Soft Served Frozen Yogurt. Every day you scrape off a few inches of bacteria from the machine. This is normal."
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20points
#45
"When grapes are taken to the crusher for wine, everything is crushed. Grapes, sticks, leaves, bugs, rats, etc. Source: biology teacher ran a grape farm that supplied a major winery."
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19points
#46
"Fast food milkshakes. I used to work at a fast food place and they put in milkshake mix that is already coagulated and sometimes had mold in it. Never eating one again, from anywhere."
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19points
#47
"Kebab meat. Worked in a quality control company for a while, which among other things tested food for bacterial contamination. Kebab meat was so disgusting and full of bacteria we had to adjust standards so we could accurately determine how badly contaminated it was."
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16points
#48
"Simple syrup for cocktails. Boil equal parts sugar and water. Let cool."
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16points
#49
"Automotive vehicles. Have you ever watched the movie Gung-Ho with Michael Keaton? It's not too far from the truth."
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14points
#50
"Bagoong (Shrimp Paste) In the Philippines, there are either two kinds of seafood to make a version of this food product. A fermented fish or shrimp itself, but shrimp is more common. I shouldn't explain any further, but the gist to make the paste is a person first "cleans" their feet, then puts the shrimp into a large basin, and finally steps on the shrimp until it's decomposed."
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12points
#51
"Most citric acid is made from black mold. This ruined so many foods for me. All that time I thought it was always lemon/citrus juice."
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12points
#52
ugagradlady said:
"A lot of butter tbh. They feed the cows literal garbage, and to get as much milk as possible, they take the cows’ calves away. The cows cry for days afterward."
"A lot of butter tbh. They feed the cows literal garbage, and to get as much milk as possible, they take the cows’ calves away. The cows cry for days afterward."
Tapiooooca replied:
"Not grass, but corn definitely is garbage for ruminants (including cows). Check out “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan. Goes into great depth about corn and a proper diet for ruminants. Unfortunately, corn is the main menu item for most cattle and it makes them beyond sick. They are meant to intensively graze for a variety of grasses... similar to wildebeests and American bison."
"Not grass, but corn definitely is garbage for ruminants (including cows). Check out “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan. Goes into great depth about corn and a proper diet for ruminants. Unfortunately, corn is the main menu item for most cattle and it makes them beyond sick. They are meant to intensively graze for a variety of grasses... similar to wildebeests and American bison."
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11points
#53
"McDonald’s chicken nuggets. It’s pink slime and looks like a strawberry milkshake. Once I saw the videos of healthy harvest baby chickens and the conditions chickens are kept in, I stopped eating chicken. not only that but the illnesses that those who “care” for the chickens get. From there I just stopped eating meat altogether. But that’s me."
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5points
