human dna found in hot dogs 2021
Well, we did want to find out," Clear Labs Cofounder Mahni Ghorashi told Huffington Post. I would imagine if you used the same technology to discover what was on cereal boxes in the grocery store aisle, you might no longer trust what is in other food products as well, Campbell says. If you can stomach it, take a look at this video demonstrating how hot dogs are made. They also discovered human DNA in two percent of the samples. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Its not all about, about 10 Foods Thatll Have You Sleeping Like A Baby. And heres another quandary worth considering. Check out the full report for more information about the brands in the US that did well on the test. Oh, and she loves to take care of two ridiculously- spoiled cats in her free time. How is anything from the bodies of a hotdog worker getting into the mix? Remember the last time you were in the produce section of a grocery store? Remember the first time a friend told you the horrible truth about hot dogs; that theyre actually made from lips and hooves and pigs anus? Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Major brands including Butterball, Boar's Head, Hebrew National, Oscar Meyer, Jennie O and Trader Joe's all received high marks. Woot! (Supplied: University of Hasanuddin) How do they assure there are no false positives?, Milkowski adds: Certainly their information can make some juicy headlines and promote their organization, but I personally do not trust any of it., (As of this writing, reps at Clear Lab have not responded to requests for comment.). Does anyone leave a hotdog plant without taking a Silkwood shower? Altogether, 75 different hot dog brands from 10 different retailers were studied. She is also the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. Human DNA has been found in two per cent of hot dogs and sausages, a major study of popular brands has revealed Tests on 345 samples from different 75 brands also revealed ten per cent of. Researchers highlighted the pork, which was found in beef and turkey hot dogs, as a particularly problematic result, given that some religions forbid the consumption of pork. Is it true that a study found that some hot dog brands contained human DNA? Molecular biologists at Clear Labs then extracted the DNA from samples of these products and matched them to the genetic code of different animals. Beef, chicken, pork, and lamb were all found as unlisted ingredients. about When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip: Healthy Dips For Super Bowl Weekend, about Move Over Oranges! Gardein was the top specialty or regional brand. They're still, as with most things in life, best in moderation. That may not bother a lot of people, but it means that 3 percent of the sausage and hot dog products tested contained a type of meat that's often excluded for religious reasons. Even more disturbing, 66 percent of those cases were found in vegetarian-labeled products. Four of the six samples that tested positive for human DNA were vegetarian products. That's right, human DNA. "It could have come from the person doing the analysis in the lab," says Rentfrow. Overall, 14.4% of the hotdogs and sausages that were tested were listed as "problematic" because of substituted or unexpected ingredients or hygienic issues. Unless you also want to give up eating fruits and vegetables. What You Should Know: It also found human DNA in 2 percent of its hot dog samples and two-thirds of the vegetarian samples. The online food guide, which uses "genomic technology" to examine foods by ingredients, foundhuman DNA in 2% of the samples. "Oh yeah, sometimes a worker loses a finger or two in the goop vats. -- The food that's a staple of American cookouts is getting some scrutiny for some unexpected ingredients. What they found was that 14.4 percent of the items tested were problematic in some way, either as a result of contamination - which means that a non-harmful contaminant was found, most often human DNA - or substitution, which is where another food ingredient that's not on the label has been added. A report found some evidence of human DNA in a small percentage of tested hot dogs, a study shows. ", (As of this writing, reps at Clear Lab have not responded to requests for comment.). "In most cases, pork found its way into chicken and turkey sausages," said Clear Food. While some of these substitutions, hygienic issues, other variances, or off-label ingredients may be permitted by the FDA, our scientific disclosure allows you, as the consumer, to decide whether the variance or problems meet your personal standard in your buying decision, Clear Food says in their study. 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? "What we do know is that any product collected in the marketplace was inspected and passed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A food with a substitution issue has an unexpected ingredient that is not listed on the label. 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. It sounds horrifying. For most of us growing up, it was one of those irresistible rumorslike how some rock songs have satanic messages if you play them backwardsthat arent true but were endlessly fun to repeat. Imagine how many apples could test positive after being handled by half the people shopping in the grocery store, he says. "Skin is not allowed as it has no muscle tissue and thus does not qualify as a muscle trimming. That could very well leave skin cells or other DNA sources on equipment, Campbell says. Even more disturbing, 66 percent of those cases were found in vegetarian-labeled products. "It's always a good idea to make sure that ground meats of any kind are well cooked.". Researchers found issues with 14.4 percent of analyzed samples. And we know that the food being served is almost as important as which team is scoring the most points. 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. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. But the ingredients of hot dogs arent nearly as ominous as were often led to believe. NR, on the other hand, can make its way into the cell on its own. Most consumers would be pleased and surprised to find out how clean and sanitary these plants are. But "people" is an ingredient most would expect limited to Soylent Green. Still, it's always nice to use a little science when making your shopping decisions, so go forth and gorge yourself on hot dogs. Copyright2023, BlackDoctor, Inc.All rights reserved. But thats not all. Hot Dogs and Processed Meats as Bad as Cigarettes? The Absolute Best Crackers for Healthy Snacking, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. They analyzed 345 hot dogs from 75 brands, and found "human DNA in 2% of the samples, and in 2/3rds of the vegetarian samples.". But it's there. Could Hibiscus Tea be Better than High Blood Pressure Drugs? Part of HuffPost News. In 2014 Americans spent $2.5 billion on hot dogs, another $2.74 billion on dinner sausages, and over half a billion on breakfast sausages. "I would imagine if you used the same technology to discover what was on cereal boxes in the grocery store aisle, you might no longer 'trust' what is in other food products as well," Campbell says. Getty Images Julie Fidler has written hundreds of articles on key world topics such as health, drugs, and law. Initial attempts by USA TODAY Network to. Suppress Coughs by Coating the Throat inChocolate? The study also found that two thirds of the samples containing human DNA were advertised as vegetarian and almost 15 percent of . Developed By, Antibiotics Could be to Blame for Skyrocketing Mental Illness Rates. The skull of a modern human female individual from Zlat k. Basically, any food that you havent personally grown or harvested. 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. 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. It did not. Related: The 26 Hot Dogs Every Man Must Devour. NR is a form of vitamin B3. Scientists may have tracked down the small percentage of DNA that might give modern humans the qualities unique to the species. ", Well, what about blood or skin? Americans eat 20 billion hot dogs and 14 billion servings of sausages each year, according to the council. about Take The Gallon Of Water Challenge! 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. In most cases, a lot of humans are employed in the meat industry, and their DNA is throughout the building., Related: The 10 Dirtiest Foods You're Eating, Even if they never actually touch the hot dogs, they are touching the processing equipment, to clean and sanitize it. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates that in this country alone, we consume around 20 billion hot dogs annuallyor 70 hot dogs per person every year. Clear Food study found 14.4 per cent of hot dogs or . At least investigators didnt find a finger, but still [1]. "Theres the old saying, 'You dont want to know how the sausage get made.' Or shopping at grocery stores, or buying food that at any point in its production was touched by human hands. Trader Joe's is the best bet for vegetarians. Researchers found evidence of meat in products that did not list those ingredients on the label, including veggie dogs. Hot dogs were found to contain different types of meat than what was listed on the label. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. "Yes, humans work at meat processing establishments," he says. It does, however, score products based on hygiene, safety and accurate labeling. Hot dogs have never been seen as prime cuts of meat, but a new study has found human DNA in some samples. And most of our top guys have seriously dry skin. We didnt reach out to any of the major hot dog manufacturers, because obviously they would only deny the studys findings. Two percent of the samples tested positive for human DNA, and a whopping 66 percent of vegetarian hot dogs contained evidence of such contamination. Additionally, 10% of vegetarian hot dogs sold today contain traces of meat. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council has attempted to reach Clear Food multiple times for further explanation on the report, according to Riley. Unless you follow Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Human DNA is the last thing you could expect in your food. Maybe youve seen The Water Challenge floating around on social media. "Likewise, when they suggest that some products showed the presence of another species, like chicken in a beef product, this could also be from a single cell and even result from very practice of pulling samples from multiple packages in the same room as the company may have done.". The Clear Labs hot dog study found human DNA samples in 2 percent of the 345 hot dogs and sausages. As in, homo sapiens. The study also concludes that 10 percent of veggie dog brands tested contained meat. Clear Food does not release the names of the poor-performing products. Did you buy every apple or orange or potato or avocado that you groped or squeezed to make sure it was fresh? Researchers found issues with 14.4 percent of analyzed samples. Now thatsahygienic issue. Vegetarian hot dog products surprisingly fared the worst in this regard, with four out of the 21 products tested containing human DNA. [2]. Initial attempts by USA TODAY Network to reach out to the company independently have proved unsuccessful. Clear Food reported that it found human DNA in six of the 345 samples, or 2 percent of all samples tested. As one example, in the mid-nineteenth century, rumors suggested that butchers used dog meat for their hot dogs. And so does most food that was processed, cooked, boxed, or placed on a supermarket shelf by another human being. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, about 7 billion hot dogs will be consumed in the U.S., and on the Fourth of July more than 150 million hot dogs will be consumed alone. Veggie dogs were the worst off, accounting for 67 percent of the hygiene issues and two-thirds of the human DNA found. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA . Concession stand worker Janice Towns checks on the hot dogs she is making July 23, 2013, on National Hot Dog Day at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. It would appear that modern hot dogs are made almost entirely by scary-looking machines. Today, hot dogs are usually processed in factories, where meat trimmings, spices, and other ingredients are chopped and blended into an emulsification and routed to automatic stuffers. Some Hot Dogs, Sausages Studied Contain Human DNA, Says New Report Clear Foods also analyzed vegetarian hot dogs and sausages. DNA was in two per cent of all samples, predominantly in veggie products. ", 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." A new DNA analysis of hot dogs and sausages in the US has revealed a few harsh realities about everyone's favourite street food. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. At least not enough to worry about. So what are we missing? The products came from 75. It would appear that modern hot dogs are made almost entirely by scary-looking machines. The other other white meat. The lab does not release the names of poor-performing products it analyzes. (Substitution meanswhen ingredients are added to the productthat are not displayed on the label and hygienic issues happen when a "non-harmful contaminant is introduced to the hot dog."). The company analyzed 345 hot dog and sausage products from 75 brands and 10 retailers, and said they found "human DNA in 2% of the samples, and in 2/3rds of the vegetarian samples.". Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Credit: Marek Janta. One study found that wieners, bacon and other processed meats probably contribute to cancer, and now news of this study comes out. Clear Food says its testing found human DNA in 2 percent of all hot dog samples. October 25, 2015 11:34 PM ET. The genomic analysis involved 345 different hot dog or sausage products from 75 brands, purchased at 10 different retailers in the US. Occasionally human workers are involved in the process, but they're wearing so much protective gear you'd think they were handling plutonium. However, Janet Riley, president of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, said Clear Food "has said very little about its sample collection procedure. "It is unlikely that human DNA is harmful to consumer health. The researchers found that there were issues with more than 14% of the samples analyzed. So what are we missing? 2023 www.jacksonville.com. Wake up to the day's most important news. We didn't reach out to any of the major hot dog manufacturers, because obviously they would only deny the study's findings. Remember the last time you were in the produce section of a grocery store? It's a theory echoed by Gregg Rentfrow, Ph.D., a professor in Animal and Food Science at the University of Kentucky. It's not like somebody found a pinkie in a Hebrew National. 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. What are they going to tell us? The human DNA isn't . However, no kosher dogs tested contained pork. Regionally, the top 3 specialty and regional hot dog brands were Gardein, Taverrites and Field to Family Natural Foods. ", officially listed processed meats such as bacon and sausages as cancer-causing, Huge New Study Shows Why Exercise Should Be The First Choice in Treating Depression, A World-First Discovery Hints at The Sounds Non-Avian Dinosaurs Made, For The First Time Ever, Physicists See Molecules Form Through Quantum Tunneling. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest. How did actual human DNA end up in hotdogs? So what does this mean to you? MORE: The 26 Hot Dogs Every Man Must Devour. It did not . MORE: 5 Gross Guy Habits That Are Good for You, 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. Clear Foods is a company that translates quantifiable molecular tests into actionable food data insights, according to its website. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The Hot Dog Report, Clear Food web site; http://www.clearfood.com/food_reports/2015/the_hotdog_report, last accessed October 30, 2015. What percentage of grocery store fruits and vegetables have a little human DNA on them? Maybe Not, Study Shows, A Broccoli Anti-Aging Enzyme may Hold the Fountain of Youth, Illinois Ag. For most of us growing up, it was one of those irresistible rumorslike how some rock songs have satanic messages if you play them backwardsthat aren't true but were endlessly fun to repeat. Clear Labs, a nonprofit group that analyzes food at. "Imagine how many apples could test positive after being handled by half the people shopping in the grocery store," he says. According to the data collected by Clear Foods it has been found that out of 345 hot dogs and sausages being analysed, two percent has traces of human DNA. A spokesperson for Clear Food said that human DNA "degrades the quality of food" but is less of a public health concern. People who don't eat pork might want to stay away from chicken dogs and sausages, as some of these brands commingled pork products. And they "provide limited information on their methodology. Does anyone leave a hotdog plant without taking a Silkwood shower? We talked to the actual experts in meat science, and got the real story, Is there any food more maligned than the lowly hot dog? So what does this mean to you? "We found chicken in a vegetarian breakfast sausage and pork in a vegetarian hot dog," the report explains. Related: Hot Dogs and Processed Meats as Bad as Cigarettes? And if this new research is in any way factual, 1.4 of your yearly hot dogs have bits of people in them. All rights reserved. "The U.S. does not allow blood," he says. But the good news from the report (yes, there is some!)