No, artificial vanilla flavoring doesn't come from beaver butts. Flavor scientists explain.

• It's a myth that artificial vanilla flavoring comes from castoreum extracted from beaver castor sacs.
• Flavor chemists explain that artificial vanilla flavor is made from synthetic vanillin.
• Vanillin is usually synthesized from compounds found in clove oil, wood, and bark.

From cake mixes and candy to cereal and ice cream, artificial flavorings like vanilla, strawberry, and raspberry can be found in a wide range of processed foods. 

The FDA doesn't require listing all the ingredients in these additives, which leaves a lot open to interpretation and misunderstanding.