Did you buy every apple or orange or potato or avocado that you groped or squeezed to make sure it was fresh? Basically, any food that you havent personally grown or harvested. Human DNA Found in Hotdogs-Truth! & Misleading! What percentage of grocery store fruits and vegetables have a little human DNA on them? And so does most food that was processed, cooked, boxed, or placed on a supermarket shelf by another human being. Do they have appropriate laboratory quality procedures with both positive and negative reference sample controls in their analyses? It could have come from the person doing the analysis in the lab, says Rentfrow. ", Milkowski adds: "Certainly their information can make some juicy headlines and promote their organization, but I personally do not trust any of it. 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! A spokesperson for Clear Food said that human DNA "degrades the quality of food" but is less of a public health concern. So what are we missing? As one example, in the mid-nineteenth century, rumors suggested that butchers used dog meat for their hot dogs. 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. Is that even possible? But there were plenty of impartial meat academics happy to weigh in. (Supplied: University of Hasanuddin) It did not. about 7 billion hot dogs will be consumed in the U.S. 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. Clear Food does not release the names of the poor-performing products. Occasionally human workers are involved in the process, but theyre wearing so much protective gear youd think they were handling plutonium. Unless you follow Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Human DNA is the last thing you could expect in your food. And heres another quandary worth considering. Do you really know whats in your food? 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? HUMAN DNA FOUND IN HOT DOGS - YouTube After analyzing hot dogs from 75 different brands, Clear Foods discovered human DNA in 2% of the samples studied. Only one of the molecules has vitamin statusNR. Imagine how many apples could test positive after being handled by half the people shopping in the grocery store, he says. ", MORE: 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. If you crunched the numbers, it was admittedly alarming. October 25, 2015 / 10:20 AM So, sorry, there aren't any pig anuses in hot dogs. 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. Ten percent of vegetarian products contained meat. Probably not, right? 9 Surprising Foods Packed With Vitamin C. Nobody knows what's in a hot dog. Only a tiny fraction of our DNA is uniquely human - Science News Altogether, 75 different hot dog brands from 10 different retailers were studied. 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.". Flashback: Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury, 3 Simple, Natural Ways for Detoxing Your Body, The Herbal Remedy to Kick the Smoking Habit & Repair the Lungs. While some of these substitutions, hygienic issues, other variances, or off-label ingredients may be permitted by the FDA [Food and Drug Administration], 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 explains. The company found hygiene issues in four of its 21 vegetarian samples. How is anything from the bodies of a hotdog worker getting into the mix? Check out the full report for more information about the brands in the US that did well on the test. Some Hot Dogs, Sausages Studied Contain Human DNA, Says New Report Clear Foods also analyzed vegetarian hot dogs and sausages. And despite the genomic tests being done in California crowd-sourced labs, they probably dont have any people parts. 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. 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. ", 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. This information is coming from a study by a fairly new organization that's using Kickstarter to fund much of its research. "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. 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. 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. Hot dogs are considered one of the most American foods. Overall, 14.4 percent of the hot dogs and sausages tested by Clear Foods were problematic, the company said. "DNA is not a food safety hazard," says Jonathan A. Campbell, Ph.D., a Meat Specialist and Assistant Professor at Penn State University. Samples showed chicken, beef, turkey and lamb were found in products that were not supposed to have those ingredients. (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."). Gardein was the top specialty or regional brand. Credit: Marek Janta. And so does most food that was processed, cooked, boxed, or placed on a supermarket shelf by another human being. How did actual human DNA end up in hotdogs? ", "Anything that's made from meat byproducts is likely to contain parts that don't pass the 'yuck' test," she added. A company that uses genomic analysis technology to get information on the contents of food has . BDO is the worlds largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. Remember the last time you were in the produce section of a grocery store? If you can stomach it, take a look at this video demonstrating how hot dogs are made. So what does this mean to you? The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, a trade group that represents hog dog and sausage manufacturers, called the report a "publicity stunt. Video provided by Newsy, and other processed meat can cause colorectal cancer, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Some Hot Dogs, Sausages Studied Contain Human DNA, Says New Report At least not enough to worry about. Maybe Not, Study Shows, A Broccoli Anti-Aging Enzyme may Hold the Fountain of Youth, Illinois Ag. In light of the news that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has, Pork substitution was an issue in products across the price spectrum being sold at a wide variety of retailers. Vegetarian hot dog products surprisingly fared the worst in this regard, with four out of the 21 products tested containing human DNA. What are they going to tell us? 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. 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. 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? The online food guide, which uses "genomic technology" to examine foods by ingredients, foundhuman DNA in 2% of the samples. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. The hot dog and sausage report was self-funded, according to Clear Food. "Yes, humans work at meat processing establishments," he says. Ten products tested contained chicken that weren't meant to, four contained beef, three contained turkey, two contained lamb and, worryingly, nine contained pork. Burgers contain rat and human DNA, study finds - The Independent Yes, humans work at meat processing establishments, he says. DNA was in two per cent of all samples, predominantly in veggie products. But the good news from the report (yes, there is some!) They're still, as with most things in life, best in moderation. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. No, Hot Dogs Do Not Contain Human Meat - The New York Times The human DNA found in the dogs is largely the result of hair and broken fingernails. Even more disturbing, 66 percent of those cases were found in vegetarian-labeled products. "What we do know is that any product collected in the marketplace was inspected and passed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Hot Dog study found human DNA samples in 2% of the 345 hotdogs and sausages that it looked at. Hot dogs, bacon, processed meats linked to cancer. The researchers found that there were issues with more than 14% of the samples analyzed. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Heart Palpitations at Night: Common Causes and How to Treat, Essential Oils for Cough, Cold and Congestion, Sudden High Blood Pressure: Causes, Symptoms and Prevention Tips, Sore Throat on One Side: 7 Causes and Treatments, Natural Remedies for the Burning Sensation in Your Stomach After Eating, Hibiscus Tea: Health Benefits, Nutrition, Side Effects, and Recipes, Vegetable Oil Substitutes: 5 Healthy Alternatives for Baking, Frying, and More, How to Treat Nausea After Eating Eggs or Chicken, Diarrhea after Eating: Causes and Natural Treatments, Top 11 Homeopathic Remedies for High Blood Pressure, Heavy Breathing: Common Causes and Treatments, Pineapple Juice for Cough: Effective Homemade Cough Remedies, Pain in the Left Temple of the Head: 10 Causes and Treatments. Initial attempts by USA TODAY Network to reach out to the company independently have proved unsuccessful. THE Organic Non-GMO Cookbook & Shopping Guide (E-Book). A new study has just revealed that hot dogs might, if research is to be believed, have a little human DNA in it. Theyre still, as with most things in life, best in moderation. Likely more than 2%. The other other white meat. So what does this mean to you? And if this new research is in any way factual, 1.4 of your yearly hot dogs have bits of people in them. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Two-thirds of that human DNA was found in vegetarian hot dogs. ", "It's entirely possible that the human DNA found could be linked back to the company's own staff," Riley said in a statement on Tuesday. Clear Food says its testing found human DNA in 2 percent of all hot dog samples. The human DNA found in the dogs is largely the result of hair and broken fingernails. All rights reserved. Suppress Coughs by Coating the Throat inChocolate? There's a concept that'll haunt you if you think about it too much. It happens. Scientists may have tracked down the small percentage of DNA that might give modern humans the qualities unique to the species. But "people" is an ingredient most would expect limited to Soylent Green. Researchers found evidence of meat in products that did not list those ingredients on the label, including veggie dogs. "One thing's certain: questions about the hot dog are as old as the hot dog itself. And for most of the Internet, it was enough reason to go into full-on panic mode. Just try to think a bit more about DNA testing while you're doing so. 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. We didnt reach out to any of the major hot dog manufacturers, because obviously they would only deny the studys findings. 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. As in, homo sapiens. Wake up to the day's most important news. Nearly every cell in a person's body has the same DNA. Horton, H., Human DNA found in hot dogs and 10% of vegetarian sausages contain meat, The Telegraph web site, October 27, 2015; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11956947/human-DNA-found-in-hot-dogs-vegetarian-sausages-contain-meat.html. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest?