Beaver-Based Alternative to Vanilla !

Well folks, when I saw that headline I thought Jeez, has Mercola started some sort of adult entertainment site. The title of the video "Do you eat Beaver Butt" Good grief I thought, is Monty Beantipper (the old perv) writing for the good Doc these days ? No, thank goodness, check this story out and watch the short video and wince. Eddie

Vanilla-Flavored Processed Foods May Contain Anal Secretions From Beaver Butts…

Anal secretions from beavers, which beavers use to mark their territory, smell, ironically, like vanilla. These secretions, called castoreum, may be used as vanilla flavoring in baked goods, pudding, chewing gum and more.¹

Here’s the rub … you certainly won’t see ‘beaver anal secretions’ on your food labels, and you probably won’t see ‘castoreum’ either. All that has to be listed is vanilla natural flavor, because, after all, beaver anal secretions are natural.

It’s clearly absurd that food manufacturers can describe secretions from beaver anal glands as natural vanilla flavor. This isn’t a huge health issue, especially because beavers are not a bred animal, and the total consumption of castoreum is thought to be around just 250 pounds a year.


Still, there’s no denying it’s deceptive, as most people would not knowingly buy such a product, especially when vanilla flavor can be extracted from other sources, like coniferous trees and vanilla beans (imagine that!). In case you were wondering, there are actually quite a few foods that could, theoretically, contain castoreum, including:

Full story here.