9 Gross Things Lurking in Your Child's Lunchbox

Many puddings use beaver anal gland juice for vanilla or raspberry flavoring.
Many puddings use beaver anal gland juice for vanilla or raspberry flavoring.

By Brianna Steinhilber, Everyday Health

Cafeteria mystery meat and processed foods have led many parents to join the brown bag club - and while you may think keeping your kid out of the lunch line ensures you know exactly what they're putting into their bodies, what's lurking in many go-to healthy lunch picks may shock you. Read on for nine weird (and sometimes disgusting) ingredients that could be hiding in your child's favorite foods, plus how to spot each one's code name on the label.

1. Beaver Anal Gland Juice

Found in: Vanilla and raspberry flavored foods and beverages, puddings. On the label: It's called castoreum, but is labeled as "natural flavoring." What's it doing in there?! The less-than-appetizing brown slime that comes from a beaver's castor sacs is used to add vanilla or raspberry flavoring to foods. While it may earn a 10 in gross factor, the FDA recognizes it as generally safe for consumption. However, you won't be able to tell if the additive is in your little one's milk or yogurt because it's identified on the label as "natural flavoring." Opt for plain varieties and add in fresh raspberries to avoid it.

2. Human Hair

Found in: Bread. On the label: L-cysteine. What's it doing in there?! The amino acid (derived from human hair or duck feathers) is used in commercial dough to help create a softer texture and speed up processing of bread and other baked goods. It's generally harmless, but if you'd rather spare your child a hairy sandwich situation, check the labels of your favorite loaf or buy fresh-baked bread at your local bakery.

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3. Sand

Found in: Soup. On the label: Silicon dioxide. What's it doing in there?! It's added to foods as an anti-clumping agent to keep particles from binding together. The FDA limits the amount allowed in each product, so while you don't have to worry about dangerous levels in your child's thermos of soup, you can avoid the additive altogether by checking the labels or making soup from scratch.

4. Sheep Sweat

Found in: Gum. On the label: Lanolin, gum base, aliphatic alcohols, cholesterin, isopropyl lanolate, laneth, lanogene, lanolin alcohols, lanosterols, sterols, and triterpene alcohols. What's it doing in there?! The oily substance derived from sheep's wool is used as the base for chewing gum. Is your kid a chomper? Swap the pack of gum for a natural candy they can enjoy as a sweet after-lunch nibble.

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5. Wood Pulp

Found in: Shredded cheese, crackers, mac and cheese. On the label: Cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), cellulose gel, cellulose gum, and carboxymethyl cellulose. What's it doing in there?! The ingredient is added for a variety of reasons: It adds fiber and bulks up products, thickens texture, and gives foods longer shelf lives. Though deemed safe by the FDA, it's indigestible by humans and adds no nutritional value. If you're making your little one quesadillas for lunch, avoid the additive by taking a few minutes to shred your own cheese.

Crushed beetles are used in yogurt and juices to add the bright red color.
Crushed beetles are used in yogurt and juices to add the bright red color.

6. Beetles

Found in: Yogurts, juices, some Pop Tarts. On the label: Carmine, cochineal extract. What's it doing in there?! The bright red food colorant comes from the crushed abdomen of the beetle and adds a vibrant red hue to foods and beverages. While the FDA claims the additive is safe for most people (there have been reports of allergic reactions), you can take beetles off your kid's lunch menu by checking the labels of juices and yogurts before you include them in your kid's brown bag.

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7. Animal Skin

Found in: Jell-O, puddings, frosted cereals, yogurt. On the label: Gelatin. What's it doing in there?! The gelatin that puts the jiggle in Jell-O is used as a thickening agent in products and is made from collagen, a protein derived from animal skins (typically cows and pigs). The ingredient is harmless, but avoiding it is a good excuse to go homemade, which tends to be healthier anyway! Pack your little one a container of Banana Pudding or Peanut Butter Breakfast Pudding instead.

8. Bug Secretions

Found in: Hard-coated candies like jelly beans and candy corn. On the label: Confectioner's glaze. What's it doing in there?! The shiny coating on candies is derived from the secretions of the female lac bug. While it's recognized as safe by the FDA, if this little tidbit is hard to digest, swap the processed candies for nature's natural candy - berries - instead. Appease picky eaters by including some mini chocolate chips for them to sprinkle on top of their fruit.

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9. Petroleum

Found in: Soda and juice (plus a ton of other products such as baked goods and mixes, cereals, and processed snacks). On the label: Artificial food dyes are often listed as a color followed by a number. Some common examples include: Yellow #5 and #6, Red # 40, Blue #1 and #2, Green #3. What's it doing in there?! Artificial food dyes are made from petroleum, an oil product. They are approved for use by the FDA, but have been a controversial subject for years, largely because they have been linked to hyperactivity in kids. Because these dyes add no nutritional value, and it's always better to go natural when possible, skip the bottled beverages which are often packed with sugar anyway, and spoil your kid with a tasty homemade sip like a Lemon Apple Spritzer or Cranberry Jeltzer (but be sure to make them with natural juices free of food dyes!)

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This article originally appeared on EverydayHealth.com: 9 Gross Things Lurking in Your Child's Lunchbox