Gross Things in Your Food

[Hilander]

Nobody wants to find insect parts, rat hairs, mouse poop or maggots in their food. But the Food and Drug Administration does allows low levels of these nasty things along with a bunch of other icky stuff to be present in food, or the ingredients that go into it.

http://www.livescience.com/51123-gross-things-food-insects-mold-poop.html

All I can say is that I'm glad most food companies are stricter than the FDA. If I find anything in my food that shouldn't be there it would gross me out and I won't eat it. May never buy that brand again.

One time I found the end off of a latex glove in jelly. I was wondering if I would find a finger, super yuck factor.

Ever found anything? Thoughts?

 

[The_Chameleon]

Not that I am aware of, but I eat a lot of cereal and chances are I've consumed some processed bugs along the way. If one bug ends up mixed into 1 tonne of cereal, nobody is going to even notice it because it is one with the dough. Besides, despite the ew factor, it's just protein and with the quantities of food processed, it'd be virtually impossible to achieve zero contaminant levels. The occasional bug or two is going to end up in the mix along the way. As for the mouse droppings, the irradiation of food eliminates the threat of parasites and nasty bacteria from such unavoidable contaminants. If you're finding anything like moving organisms or bits of latex in your food then someone has seriously dropped the ball and I would write to the company and switch brands. Stuff like that just shouldn't happen.


Getting contamination levels to virtually zero would require a great deal of added processing which would drive up the cost of food probably 2-300 percent. Something to factor in when munching your Cheerios.


- Cham

 

[Hilander]

It would be impossible to keep all contaminates out of food but if it has mouse poop in it maybe there is a mouse too. To me the thought of a piece of bug is not near as bad as rodent hair, poop or them.

 

[The_Chameleon]

I've never encountered rodent hair or bits in meh chow. I'm sure the occasional bit gets thru, but I think the manufacturers have it down to a science keeping obvious contaminants out of their product. A person going to the media after breaking a tooth on a rat head or choking on rodent hair would be a major PR nightmare.


- Cham