Two percent of the samples tested positive for human DNA, and a whopping 66 percent of vegetarian hot dogs contained evidence of such contamination. Interestingly, two-thirds of the samples with human DNA were from vegetarian hot dogs, indicating that the meat-free options had more hygiene issues than the regular sausages. Just try to think a bit more about DNA testing while you're doing so. Altogether, 75 different hot dog brands from 10 different retailers were studied. However, areport uncoveredsome startling findingson what peopleare really eating when theybite into a frankfurter. Some Hot Dogs, Sausages Studied Contain Human DNA, Says New Report Clear Foods also analyzed vegetarian hot dogs and sausages. Still, it's always nice to use a little science when making your shopping decisions, so go forth and gorge yourself on hot dogs. Especially when it comes to hot dogs. While, Before you gulp that daily glass of OJ, check out these 9 other surprising foods packed with vitamin C, an essential nutrient required for the development and maintenance of scar tissue, blood vessels, cartilage and more. To be clear, the presence of human DNA does not mean there is human flesh in the hot dogs. "One thing's certain: questions about the hot dog are as old as the hot dog itself. A study of both meat and vegetarian hot dogs showed that they contain unadvertised ingredients - including human DNA. Human DNA found in the hot dogs was classified as a hygienic issue because human hair or skin dander likely got into the product during the manufacturing process, TruthOrFiction.com said the study reported. In general, we consider human DNA a hygienic issue that degrades the quality of food more than a public health concern," Sasan Amini, also a Clear Labs cofounder, told HuffPost. "Theres the old saying, 'You dont want to know how the sausage get made.' The report comes amid unrelated research released by theWorld Health Organization on Monday that finds eating hot dogs, ham and other processed meat can cause colorectal cancer. But there were plenty of impartial meat academics happy to weigh in. The study, conducted by food analytics lab Clear Food, analyzed 345 different hot dogs and sausages, including vegetarian versions. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The first human DNA gleaned from cave dirt came from Denisova Cave in Siberia in 2017. So what does this mean to you? But why bother with store-bought snacks when you can make healthier homemade versions, Calling All Dippers and Chippers! .css-1pm21f6{display:block;font-family:AvantGarde,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-1pm21f6:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1pm21f6{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1pm21f6{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1pm21f6{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.3;}}The Absolute Best Crackers for Healthy Snacking, 18 Healthy Snacks That Actually Keep You Full, 15 Surprising Health Benefits of Chia Seeds, Tasty High-Protein Snacks to Keep You Fueled, The 15 Best Protein Powders for Smoothie Making, The Healthiest Fast Food Menu Items at Chains, 37 Calcium-Rich Foods That Aren't a Glass of Milk. The U.S. does not allow blood, he says. But pig anus may seem like a more appetizing option when compared with the latest hot dog accusation. Clear Food, an independent company that analyzes food at the molecular level, found that 14.4 percent of the hot dogs it tested were "problematic.". This content is imported from youTube. Maybe Not, Study Shows, A Broccoli Anti-Aging Enzyme may Hold the Fountain of Youth, Illinois Ag. Heres another analysis that will either put everything in perspective or send you into a spiral of food paranoia. Theyre still, as with most things in life, best in moderation. DNA is not on the FDA's list of product defects, so the agency would likely decide what action needs to be taken on a "case-by-case basis" if it confirmed the report's findings. You May Also Like 13 Signs You Need to See a Dermatologist Overall, 14.4 percent of the hot dogs and sausages tested by Clear Foods "were problematic," the company said. But "people" is an ingredient most would expect limited to Soylent Green. Clear Food is the consumer outreach arm of Clear Labs, a B2B food analytics startup based in California. Nearly every cell in a person's body has the same DNA. Additionally, 10 percent of all vegetarian products appeared to contain meat. With all of the green vegetable options out there, here are a few reasons, Need an easy, inexpensive and dare I say FUN way to drink more water? complete list of products Clear Food regards as high quality. Department Illegally Seizes Privately Owned Bees Resistant to GMO Poison, Breakdown of GMO Labeling Laws in Each Country (Global Map), What Theyre Not Telling You About Monsantos Role in Ukraine, Toxic Weedkiller Dicamba Drift Damages Crops Across America. The skull of a modern human female individual from Zlat k. Overall, 14.4% of the hotdogs and sausages that were tested were listed as "problematic" because of substituted or unexpected ingredients or hygienic issues. 7 Natural Anti-Anxiety Herbs to Reduce Stress, Human DNA Found in a Small Sample of Hot Dogs and Sausages. Imagine how many apples could test positive after being handled by half the people shopping in the grocery store, he says. "Yes, humans work at meat processing establishments," he says. Here's another analysis that will either put everything in perspective or send you into a spiral of food paranoia. MORE: The 26 Hot Dogs Every Man Must Devour. Does anyone leave a hotdog plant without taking a Silkwood shower? For the record, no, hot dogs don't contain anus. And despite the genomic tests being done in California crowd-sourced labs, they probably dont have any people parts. And, yep, 10 percent of them contained meat. It could have come from the person doing the analysis in the lab, says Rentfrow. 9 Surprising Foods Packed With Vitamin C. ", Well, what about blood or skin? ", "Anything that's made from meat byproducts is likely to contain parts that don't pass the 'yuck' test," she added. The lab analyzes a product's label and how closely that matches its actual molecular contents, as well as nutrition-content accuracy, such as carbs, fat, calories and protein. Hot dogs are considered one of the most American foods. Maybe youve seen The Water Challenge floating around on social media. Beef, chicken, pork, and lamb were all found as unlisted ingredients. For the record, no, hot dogs dont contain anus. Ten products tested contained chicken that weren't meant to, four contained beef, three contained turkey, two contained lamb and, worryingly, nine contained pork. Altogether, 75 different hot dog brands from 10 different retailers were studied. Ten percent of vegetarian products contained meat. Eric Spitznagel is a frequent contributor to magazines like Playboy, Esquire, and the New York Times, and was employed for over two decades by the Second City comedy theater, where Stephen Colbert was his Secret Santa _twice. The other other white meat. Actually, such items as feces, maggots and rodent hair in processed foods are allowed by the FDA because food growing and manufacturing processes cannot be totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring defects. After analyzing hot dogs from 75 different brands, Clear Foods discovered human DNA in 2% of the samples studied. Some minor adjustments to your diet might be exactly what you need. But there were plenty of impartial meat academics happy to weigh in. Part of HuffPost News. There were also issues with the nutritional content listed on labels, with the analysis showing that protein content could be exaggerated up to 2.5 times. Like Davey Griffin, Ph.D., a professor and meat specialist at the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University. The study, conducted by Clear Food, found human DNA in hot dog sausage from 75 different brands, besides also finding that 10 percent of vegetarian sausage have meat in them. Human DNA was found in 2 percent of the samples, which doesn't mean that there were traces of human meat in the sausages, but simply that there was some kind of contamination, so that could be through a stray hair or skin cells, or potentially even saliva. Video provided by Newsy, and other processed meat can cause colorectal cancer, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Clear Food study found 14.4 per cent of hot dogs or . Clear Food reported that it found human DNA in six of the 345 samples, or 2 percent of all samples tested. Clear Food also found other problems with the hot dogs, including mislabeled ingredients, which could raise concern among religious and vegetarian groups. Americans spent $2.5 billion on hot dogs, $2.74 billion on dinner sausages and more than half a billion on breakfast sausages last year, the report said. Even more disturbing, 66 percent of those cases were found in vegetarian-labeled products. But this is not a contaminant but a non-aesthetic idea of something in our food that the average consumer feels may not be pleasing to them.. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans spent $2.4 billion last year on hot dogs and another $2.74 billion on sausages. What are they going to tell us? In particular, two percent of the hot dog samples contained human DNA. The human DNA isn't . The study comes from Clear Labsa food analytics startup based in Menlo Park, CA which used "genomic technology" to investigate hot dogs on a molecular level. Processed meat causes cancer, red meat could too, says WHO, According to a report from a research division of WHO, processed meats cause cancer, and red meat likely does, too. standards and labeling requirements are restrictive, says Milkowski. Related: The 26 Hot Dogs Every Man Must Devour. And they're not wholly unwarranted," the report said. U.S. According to "The Hot Dog Report" put out by Clea. It happens. That could very well leave skin cells or other DNA sources on equipment, Campbell says. The online food guide, which uses "genomic technology" to examine foods by ingredients, foundhuman DNA in 2% of the samples. We didnt reach out to any of the major hot dog manufacturers, because obviously they would only deny the studys findings. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. A spokesperson for Clear Food said that human DNA "degrades the quality of food" but is less of a public health concern. Plant personnel wear clean clothes and gloves, they have sanitary working equipment, and the USDA regularly inspects to ensure that products are made cleanly and safely for consumers.". This publicity stunt changes nothing about the fundamental safety of Americas carefully regulated and inspected hot dogs.. Or lips. How is anything from the bodies of a hotdog worker getting into the mix? Two-thirds of that human DNA was found in vegetarian hot dogs, according to the study. ", After reviewing the company's website and research, Milkowski claims that while the founders have a molecular genetics background, "as far as I can tell they do not have any expertise or scientific training around food or agriculture." Researchers for Clear Labs, a company that sets standards for food quality, looked at 345 samples of hot dogs and sausages from 75 brands and 10 retailers, assigning each brand a score up to 100 for the highest quality products. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council has attempted to reach Clear Food multiple times for further explanation on the report, according to Riley. / CBS News. Substitution issues are much more problematic. Occasionally human workers are involved in the process, but theyre wearing so much protective gear youd think they were handling plutonium. Do they have appropriate laboratory quality procedures with both positive and negative reference sample controls in their analyses? 3. Clear Food does not release the names of the poor-performing products. Challenge yourself to drink one gallon of water DAILY at least for 30 days! about When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip: Healthy Dips For Super Bowl Weekend, about Move Over Oranges! It's been a bad press week for meat. originally ran on MensHealth.com. "What we do know is that any product collected in the marketplace was inspected and passed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And here's another quandary worth considering. Julie Fidler has written hundreds of articles on key world topics such as health, drugs, and law. It sometimes seems like it exists not because people enjoy the taste of a frankfurter, but because we just love speculating about all the secret and super-gross "ingredients.". Americans spent $2.4 billion last year on hot dogs and another $2.74 billion on sausages according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. "Imagine how many apples could test positive after being handled by half the people shopping in the grocery store," he says. "We found chicken in a vegetarian breakfast sausage and pork in a vegetarian hot dog," the report explains. And so does most food that was processed, cooked, boxed, or placed on a supermarket shelf by another human being. Remember the first time a friend told you the horrible truth about hot dogs; that they're actually made from lips and hooves and pig's anus? Major brands including Butterball, Boar's Head, Hebrew National, Oscar Meyer, Jennie O and Trader Joe's all received high marks. It's a theory echoed by Gregg Rentfrow, Ph.D., a professor in Animal and Food Science at the University of Kentucky. A new report, however, adds extra meaning to the phrase "you don't want to know how the sausage gets made.". One study found that wieners, bacon and other processed meats probably contribute to cancer, and now news of this study comes out. A company that uses genomic analysis technology to get information on the contents of food has . Well, it is true that human DNA was found in about 2 percent of hot dogs that were analyzed in one study, TruthOrFiction.com reported. Veggie dogs were the worst off, accounting for 67 percent of the hygiene issues and two-thirds of the human DNA found. October 25, 2015 / 10:20 AM Clear Food says its testing found human DNA in 2 percent of all hot dog samples. NR, on the other hand, can make its way into the cell on its own. Pork was found in 3% of samples, mostly in products advertised as chicken- or turkey-only, a discovery that is likely very disturbing to those who avoid pork due to religious reasons. First published on October 25, 2015 / 10:20 AM. For hot dogs without human DNA, the study found that Walmart, Target, and Safeway were the safest retailers to buy from. The DNA found in the samples likely came from "hair, skin, finger nail or saliva that was accidentally mixed in during the manufacturing process," according to Clear Food. This information is coming from a study by a fairly new organization thats using Kickstarter to fund much of its research.