Rodent hair in your peanut butter? Insect parts in your macaroni and cheese? No, thanks! Well, think again. Although this may ruin your appetite or sound disgusting, these things are classified as “natural contaminates” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Therefore, these lovely items are present in the food we eat and acceptable. The FDA is so certain you won’t suffer any adverse effects from ingesting minuscule amounts of insects, or “excreta” or rodent hairs.
A recent article, “Scary Food Facts” exposes the truth to the food many of us put in our bodies.
Below is a list of what the FDA calls acceptable, it is a little frightening so, read at your own discretion!
CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR
- Insect filth: Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams.
- Rodent filth: Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams.
CITRUS FRUIT JUICES, CANNED
- Insects and insect eggs: 5 or more Drosophila and other fly eggs per 250 ml or 1 or more maggots per 250 ml
MACARONI AND NOODLE PRODUCTS
- Insect filth: Average of 225 insect fragments or more per 225 grams.
- Rodent filth: Average of 4.5 rodent hairs or more per 225 grams.
PEANUT BUTTER
- Insect filth: Average of 30 or more insect fragments per 100 grams
- Rodent filth: Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams
POPCORN
- Rodent filth: 1 or more rodent excreta pellets are found in 1 or more subsamples. 1 or more rodent hairs are found in 2 or more rodent hairs per pound and rodent hair is found in 50% or more of the subsamples. 20 or more gnawed grains per pound and rodent hair is found in 50% or more of the subsamples.
VEGETABLES, SOUP
- Frozen or canned asparagus, the maximum level of contamination is 10% by count of spears or pieces that are infested with 6 or more attached asparagus beetle eggs and/or sacs.
- Frozen broccoli, can have an average of 60 or more aphids and/or thrips and/or mites per 100 grams and it is ok.
WHEAT FLOUR
- Insect filth: Average of 75 or more insect fragments per 50 grams.
- Rodent filth: Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams.
An Ohio University fact sheet estimates that we eat from one to two pounds of insects each year. Cheers, and eat at your own risk!
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