Butterball, McCormick, Eckrich and Hebrew National received the top scores for quality hot dogs among major brands. "What we do know is that any product collected in the marketplace was inspected and passed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hot dogs have never been seen as prime cuts of meat, but a new study has found human DNA in some samples. Julie Fidler has written hundreds of articles on key world topics such as health, drugs, and law. How did actual human DNA end up in hotdogs? So what are we missing? 2023 - All Rights Reserved. And most of our top guys have seriously dry skin. The researchers found that there were issues with more than 14% of the samples analyzed. Theyre still, as with most things in life, best in moderation. 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.". In other words, yes, your hot dogs are going to have a little human DNA on them. 10 Ways to Control Blood Sugar without Medication, Horton, H., Human DNA found in hot dogs and 10% of vegetarian sausages contain meat,, Meers, W., Hot Dogs Contain Human DNA, Veggie Dogs Contain Meat: Study,, Oaklander, M., This Could Cut Your Health Costs by $25,000 a Year, Study Finds,, Schulte, B., Harvard neuroscientist: Meditation not only reduces stress, heres how it changes your brain,, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11956947/human-DNA-found-in-hot-dogs-vegetarian-sausages-contain-meat.html, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hot-dogs-dna-veggie-dogs-meat_562e45abe4b0ec0a38950dc5, http://time.com/4071897/stress-relief-healthcare-costs/, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/05/26/harvard-neuroscientist-meditation-not-only-reduces-stress-it-literally-changes-your-brain/. ", Well, what about blood or skin? But why bother with store-bought snacks when you can make healthier homemade versions, Calling All Dippers and Chippers! 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? However, areport uncoveredsome startling findingson what peopleare really eating when theybite into a frankfurter. "In most cases, a lot of humans are employed in the meat industry, and their DNA is throughout the building. What makes us human? While researchers from Clear Food state that human DNA is unlikely to pose any health threats, they believe the information should be made available to the public and that people should be able to decide for themselves whether they are comfortable eating hot dogs given these findings. 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. The study suggests that those looking for a DNA-free dog should head to Target, Safeway and Walmart, the study reports. The human DNA found in the dogs is largely the result of hair and broken fingernails. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. For hot dogs without human DNA, the study found that Walmart, Target, and Safeway were the safest retailers to buy from. Hot dog sausages contain human DNA, study says, and many vegetarian ones contain meat Another problem is that 4.3 per cent of burgers contained pathogenic DNA, which can cause food. As one example, in the mid-nineteenth century, rumors suggested that butchers used dog meat for their hot dogs. What You Should Know: "One thing's certain: questions about the hot dog are as old as the hot dog itself. 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. about Take The Gallon Of Water Challenge! The human DNA found in the dogs is largely the result of hair and broken fingernails. want to find out," Clear Labs Cofounder Mahni Ghorashi told Huffington Post. Clear Food says the best retailers for hot dogs and sausage products are Target, Walmart and Safeway, and the top brands (in order) are Butterball, McCormick, Ekrich, and Hebrew National, all of which received a Clear Score of 96. — -- The food that's a staple of American cookouts is getting some scrutiny for some unexpected ingredients. Substitution occurs when ingredients are added that do not show up on the label. The lab does not release the names of poor-performing products it analyzes. Does anyone leave a hotdog plant without taking a Silkwood shower? Ten products tested contained chicken that weren't meant to, four contained beef, three contained turkey, two contained lamb and, worryingly, nine contained pork. Or lips. It also found human DNA in 2 percent of its hot dog samples and two-thirds of the vegetarian samples. How do they assure there are no false positives? 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. Researchers found issues with 14.4 percent of analyzed samples. Around 3% of hot dogs and sausages analyzed contained pork where it wasn't listed, ten percent of vegetarian dogs included animal DNA, and most shocking of all 2% of samples contained. All rights reserved. Butterball, McCormick, Eckrich and Hebrew National were among the major brands that received top scores from Clear Foods. And for most of the Internet, it was enough reason to go into full-on panic mode. And so does most food that was processed, cooked, boxed, or placed on a supermarket shelf by another human being. Clear Food does not release the names of the poor-performing products. So what does this mean to you? Occasionally human workers are involved in the process, but theyre wearing so much protective gear youd think they were handling plutonium. The company found hygiene issues in four of its 21 vegetarian samples. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Clear Labs, a nonprofit group that analyzes food at. It's sometimes referred to as the queen of greens because its nutritional value is just about unmatched. It did not . Developed By, Antibiotics Could be to Blame for Skyrocketing Mental Illness Rates. A new DNA analysis of hot dogs and sausages in the US has revealed a few harsh realities about everyone's favourite street food. Related: The 26 Hot Dogs Every Man Must Devour. It does, however, score products based on hygiene, safety and accurate labeling, ABC News reported. And they're not wholly unwarranted," the report said. Vegetarian hot dog products surprisingly fared the worst in this regard, with four out of the 21 products tested containing human DNA. Challenge yourself to drink one gallon of water DAILY at least for 30 days! 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. Do you really know whats in your food? And if this new research is in any way factual, 1.4 of your yearly hot dogs have bits of people in them. Not least, the fact that 10 percent of the vegetarian mock-meat products tested actually contained meat. Human DNA. But hey, customers hardly ever taste the flakes.". What percentage of grocery store fruits and vegetables have a little human DNA on them? Heres another analysis that will either put everything in perspective or send you into a spiral of food paranoia. The Clear Labs hot dog study found human DNA samples in 2 percent of the 345 hot dogs and sausages. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. complete list of products Clear Food regards as high quality. Schulte, B., Harvard neuroscientist: Meditation not only reduces stress, heres how it changes your brain, The Washington Post web site, May 26, 2015; https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/05/26/harvard-neuroscientist-meditation-not-only-reduces-stress-it-literally-changes-your-brain/. However, Janet Riley, president of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, said Clear Food "has said very little about its sample collection procedure. Despite some of the shocking findings, Clear Foods reports "there are a number of hot dog manufacturers, large and small, that are producing high-quality hot dogs with integrity.". ", (As of this writing, reps at Clear Lab have not responded to requests for comment.). That could very well leave skin cells or other DNA sources on equipment, Campbell says. They also discovered human DNA in two percent of the samples. Do a google search on the topic and you might end up believing that hot dogs contain everything short of snips and snails and puppy dogs tails. A spokesperson for Clear Food said that human DNA "degrades the quality of food" but is less of a public health concern. All that really means is that Clear uses genetic sequencing to figure out just whats in your lunch. The U.S. does not allow blood, he says. Only one of the molecules has vitamin statusNR. Well, we did want to find out," Clear Labs Cofounder Mahni Ghorashi told Huffington Post. Apparently not too many of us do. What are they going to tell us? DNA from 7,300-year-old skeleton Bess' found in Sulawesi cave uncovers mysterious human lineage ABC Science / By science reporter Belinda Smith Posted Wed 25 Aug 2021 at 12:00pm, updated Wed 25 Aug 2021 at 2:02pm The cave in which this skeleton was found was earmarked for development as a water park. 7 Natural Anti-Anxiety Herbs to Reduce Stress, Human DNA Found in a Small Sample of Hot Dogs and Sausages. This bizarre information came from a single document released on Oct. 17 by the consumer marketing arm of a. The good news: As bad as some brands were found to be, there are some . Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council has attempted to reach Clear Food multiple times for further explanation on the report, according to Riley. The products came from 75. 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.". Font Size: Clear Food, a subsidiary of food analyzation startup Clear Labs, found that human DNA is present in 2 percent of hot dog and sausage brands, according to a recent study. That's right, human DNA. As for the top dogs, Clear Food recommends national brands Butterball, McCormick, Eckrich and Hebrew National. Well, we. Americans eat 20 billion hot dogs and 14 billion servings of sausages each year, according to the council. Any organs or edible by-products must be explicitly labeled in the ingredient line and the product name must have a qualifier made with variety meats., Well, what about blood or skin? Yes, human DNA! And we know that the food being served is almost as important as which team is scoring the most points. Unless you also want to give up eating fruits and vegetables. If you can stomach it, take a look at this video demonstrating how hot dogs are made. 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. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. So, it's true that human DNA was found in hot dog samples - but that doesn't mean that consumers are cannibals as some of the more hysterical posts have claimed after the study was reported widely on media such as ABC News and USA Today. Theres a concept thatll haunt you if you think about it too much. Some Hot Dogs, Sausages Studied Contain Human DNA, Says New Report Clear Foods also analyzed vegetarian hot dogs and sausages. Clear Food is the consumer outreach arm of Clear Labs, a B2B food analytics startup based in California. In other words, yes, your hot dogs are going to have a little human DNA on them. Three percent of samples contained a pork substitution, which is particularly troubling for people who do not eat pork for religious reasons. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. How is anything from the bodies of a hotdog worker getting into the mix? Pork substitution was an issue in products across the price spectrum being sold at a wide variety of retailers.". Even with this stigma, hot dogs and sausages are incredibly popular in the U.S. Last year, Americans spent more than $5.0 billion on hot dogs and sausages. The study indicates that many people could be eating pork without realizing it, although kosher hot dogs were found to be safe. During these very stressful times, it can be challenging to fall asleep or stay asleep. Maybe youve seen The Water Challenge floating around on social media. THE Organic Non-GMO Cookbook & Shopping Guide (E-Book). 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. What is DNA? Found ten per cent of vegetarian hot dogs and sausages contained meat. Then, long links of hot dogs are cooked in a smokehouse, cooled by being passed under a. Two-thirds of that human DNA was found in vegetarian hot dogs, according to the study. (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 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. And despite the genomic tests being done in California crowd-sourced labs, they probably don't have any people parts. According to a study from Clear Labs, an independent food analytics startup, 10 percent of vegetarian hot dog products contain meat. Overall, 14.4 percent of the hot dogs and sausages were listed as "problematic" because of substituted or unexpected ingredients or hygienic issues, the media reports stated. (Supplied: University of Hasanuddin) The other other white meat. And so does most food that was processed, cooked, boxed, or placed on a supermarket shelf by another human being. Sources for Todays Article: 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. about When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip: Healthy Dips For Super Bowl Weekend, about Move Over Oranges! Two-thirdsof the human DNA samples were vegetarian, according to Clear Food. The study also found that two thirds of the samples containing human DNA were advertised as vegetarian and almost 15 percent of . "It is unlikely that human DNA is harmful to consumer health. Suppress Coughs by Coating the Throat inChocolate? Unless you follow Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Human DNA is the last thing you could expect in your food. This publicity stunt changes nothing about the fundamental safety of Americas carefully regulated and inspected hot dogs.. 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? In light of the news that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially listed processed meats such as bacon and sausages as cancer-causing, this is probably the least of your worries if you're an avid hot dog lover. Did you buy every apple or orange or potato or avocado that you groped or squeezed to make sure it was fresh? Probably not, right? Researchers analyzed 345 hot dogs and sausages from 75 different brands sold at 10 retailers, and found human DNA in 2 percent of its hot dog samples and two-thirds of the vegetarian samples . 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. Even more disturbing, 66 percent of those cases were found in vegetarian-labeled products. Human DNA Found in a Small Sample of Hot Dogs and Sausages by Julie Fidler Posted on October 28, 2015 Updated on October 24, 2021 General Health The next time you squeeze some ketchup onto a ballpark frank at a baseball game, you should know you could be eating porkor you could be eating someone's eyebrows or spit. 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. There were also issues with the nutritional content listed . In other words, the ingredients on the package didnt always match what was in the samples. .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. How is anything from the bodies of a hotdog worker getting into the mix? Do they have appropriate laboratory quality procedures with both positive and negative reference sample controls in their analyses? Vegetarian hot dog products surprisingly fared the worst in this regard, with four out of the 21 products tested containing human DNA. 9 Surprising Foods Packed With Vitamin C, 10 Signs Youre Living With Clogged Arteries, Tracee Ellis Ross at 50: Loving Her Body With No Filter, Taraji P. Hensons Workout: It Keeps Me Calm & Happy, Football Legend & Coach Deion Sanders Has Toes Amputated, BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy, 10 Foods Thatll Have You Sleeping Like A Baby, When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip: Healthy Dips For Super Bowl Weekend, Move Over Oranges! "We found chicken in a vegetarian breakfast sausage and pork in a vegetarian hot dog," the report explains.