Butterball, McCormick, Eckrich and Hebrew National received the top scores for quality hot dogs among major brands. Related: Hot Dogs and Processed Meats as Bad as Cigarettes? However, no kosher dogs tested contained pork. 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. Clear Food reported that it found human DNA in six of the 345 samples, or 2 percent of all samples tested. Sean Gallup/Getty Images By Tina Hesman Saey July 16, 2021 at. "It's always a good idea to make sure that ground meats of any kind are well cooked.". Or lips. 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. Then, long links of hot dogs are cooked in a smokehouse, cooled by being passed under a. The Absolute Best Crackers for Healthy Snacking, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. A food with a substitution issue has an unexpected ingredient that is not listed on the label. Andrew L. Milkowski, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, says hes suspicious about the quality of (Clear Labs) information., After reviewing the companys 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. And they provide limited information on their methodology. 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.). Andrew L. Milkowski, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, says he's "suspicious about the quality of (Clear Lab's) information. Basically, any food that you havent personally grown or harvested. "We found chicken in a vegetarian breakfast sausage and pork in a vegetarian hot dog," the report explains. "U.S. standards and labeling requirements are restrictive," says Milkowski. What is it? Beef, chicken, pork, and lamb were all found as unlisted ingredients. Regionally, the top 3 specialty and regional hot dog brands were Gardein, Taverrites and Field to Family Natural Foods. Initial attempts by USA TODAY Network to. Clear Food is the consumer outreach arm of Clear Labs, a B2B food analytics startup based in California. is that the scientists found no correlation between price and quality. In addition to the human DNA, 67% of the hygienic issues detected in the samples were caused by vegetarian products. Hygienic issues occur when some sort of non-harmful contaminant is introduced to the hot dog, in most cases, human DNA, said Clear Food in theirstudy. And despite the genomic tests being done in California crowd-sourced labs, they probably dont have any people parts. For the record, no, hot dogs don't contain anus. 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? "Imagine how many apples could test positive after being handled by half the people shopping in the grocery store," he says. They're still, as with most things in life, best in moderation. Basically, any food that you haven't personally grown or harvested. Related: .css-16acfp5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#d2232e;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-16acfp5:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;background-color:yellow;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}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. Wake up to the day's most important news. Is that even possible? Pork substitution was an issue in products across the price spectrum being sold at a wide variety of retailers.". Researchers found issues with 14.4 percent of analyzed samples. Clear Foods also analyzed vegetarian hot dogs and sausages. What is DNA? Some, Super Bowl Sunday is upon us again! Theres a concept thatll haunt you if you think about it too much. The researchers found that there were issues with more than 14% of the samples analyzed. All of these things can contaminate meat on the production line as its prepared and packaged. Remember the first time a friend told you the horrible truth about hot dogs; that they're actually made from lips and hooves and pig's anus? 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. .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. NR is a form of vitamin B3. 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. "Theres the old saying, 'You dont want to know how the sausage get made.' And they're not wholly unwarranted," the report said. ", "Anything that's made from meat byproducts is likely to contain parts that don't pass the 'yuck' test," she added. "Yes, humans work at meat processing establishments," he says. And so does most food that was processed, cooked, boxed, or placed on a supermarket shelf by another human being. Check out the Clear Food site for the complete list of products Clear Food regards as high quality. 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. And most of our top guys have seriously dry skin. Check out the full report for more information about the brands in the US that did well on the test. At least not enough to worry about. To be clear, the presence of human DNA does not mean there is human flesh in the hot dogs. Just try to think a bit more about DNA testing while you're doing so. And, yep, 10 percent of them contained meat. It's sometimes referred to as the queen of greens because its nutritional value is just about unmatched. "In most cases, a lot of humans are employed in the meat industry, and their DNA is throughout the building. What percentage of grocery store fruits and vegetables have a little human DNA on them? 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 . Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***. Clear Foods is a company that translates quantifiable molecular tests into actionable food data insights, according to its website. In response to The Hot Dog Report's findings, Janet Riley, president of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council stated that Clear Food "has said very little about its sample collection procedure . It's been a bad press week for meat. 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. " Report: Human DNA Found in Hot Dogs " said USA Today, in a typical example. But there were plenty of impartial meat academics happy to weigh in. Or shopping at grocery stores, or buying food that at any point in its production was touched by human hands. "Skin is not allowed as it has no muscle tissue and thus does not qualify as a muscle trimming. "What we do know is that any product collected in the marketplace was inspected and passed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In other words, the ingredients on the package didnt always match what was in the samples. ", (As of this writing, reps at Clear Lab have not responded to requests for comment.). Veggie dogs were the worst off, accounting for 67 percent of the hygiene issues and two-thirds of the human DNA found. Major brands including Butterball, Boar's Head, Hebrew National, Oscar Meyer, Jennie O and Trader Joe's all received high marks. Hope you enjoyed your lunch, Hannibal Lecter. Adding these foods to your diet may help to increase your odds of, Kale is the newest craze in the health world. But thats not all. For non-meat eaters the results are particularly eye-opening: 10 percent of the vegetarian products tested contained meat (chicken in the veggie breakfast sausages and pork in the veggie hot dogs), and four of the 21 vegetarian samples had "hygienic issues." MORE: The 26 Hot Dogs Every Man Must Devour. So, sorry, there arent any pig anuses in hot dogs. ", 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. What You Should Know: Once it's inside the cell, it transforms into NMN and then to NAD+. What Are These Tiny Red Spots on My Skin (Petechiae)? Like Davey Griffin, Ph.D., a professor and meat specialist at the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M; University. 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. Still, it's always nice to use a little science when making your shopping decisions, so go forth and gorge yourself on hot dogs. Vegetarian hot dog products surprisingly fared the worst in this regard, with four out of the 21 products tested containing human DNA. 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. Americans eat 20 billion hot dogs and 14 billion servings of sausages each year, according to the council. 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.". Oh, and she loves to take care of two ridiculously- spoiled cats in her free time. "It could have come from the person doing the analysis in the lab," says Rentfrow. 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.". The researchers found human DNA in two percent of samples, and 2/3 of those products containing human DNA were vegetarian products. 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. So NR seems to have a more efficient path to NAD+ generation. What are they going to tell us? You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. "I have been in numerous plants that make hot dogs and other processed meat products across this country," he told us. Copyright2023, BlackDoctor, Inc.All rights reserved. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Two-thirdsof the human DNA samples were vegetarian, according to Clear Food. Additionally, 10 percent of all vegetarian products appeared to contain meat. Plant personnel wear clean clothes and gloves, they have sanitary working equipment, and the USDA regularly inspects to ensure that products are made cleanly and safely for consumers.. It happens. As in, homo sapiens. Its not like somebody found a pinkie in a Hebrew National. Nobody knows what's in a hot dog. Kosher hot dogs were the safest choice for products containing no pork. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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. 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. about When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip: Healthy Dips For Super Bowl Weekend, about Move Over Oranges! Are Farmers Being Manipulated Into Buying GMO Soybean Seeds? Overall, the company found nutritional label inaccuracies, pork substitution and some unexpected ingredients, including chicken and lamb in its hot dogs. Occasionally human workers are involved in the process, but they're wearing so much protective gear you'd think they were handling plutonium. So what does this mean to you? Does anyone leave a hotdog plant without taking a Silkwood shower? Clear Foodalso finds "there are a number of hot dog manufacturers, large and small, that are producing high-quality hot dogs with integrity.". Gardein was the top specialty or regional brand. There were also issues with the nutritional content listed . And heres another quandary worth considering. 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. However, Janet Riley, president of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, said Clear Food "has said very little about its sample collection procedure. 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. Its not all about, about 10 Foods Thatll Have You Sleeping Like A Baby. That's right, human DNA. Well, we did want to find out," Clear Labs Cofounder Mahni Ghorashi told Huffington Post. In particular, two percent of the hot dog samples contained human DNA. 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/. Yes, human DNA! And here's another quandary worth considering. Even more disturbing, 66 percent of those cases were found in vegetarian-labeled products. October 25, 2015 / 10:20 AM want to find out," Clear Labs Cofounder Mahni Ghorashi told Huffington Post. Other ingredients such as chicken, lamb, turkey and beef showed up in samples that were not listed on the product's packaging, according to Clear Food, which did note that no pork was found in the "100% Kosher" products it tested. 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How do they assure there are no false positives? Does anyone leave a hotdog plant without taking a Silkwood shower? Overall, 14.4% of the hotdogs and sausages that were tested were listed as "problematic" because of substituted or unexpected ingredients or hygienic issues. 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? How is anything from the bodies of a hotdog worker getting into the mix? A spokesperson for Clear Food said that human DNA "degrades the quality of food" but is less of a public health concern. She is also the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. It also found human DNA in 2 percent of its hot dog samples and two-thirds of the vegetarian samples. Were pretty sure there arent any hot dog packages that list people as an ingredient, but 2% of the samples contained trace amounts of human DNA, probably from saliva or hair. A report found some evidence of human DNA in a small percentage of tested hot dogs, a study shows. Difficult economy and loneliness forces some retirees to move in with family, New drug could slow one type of vision loss, 20,000 people may have been exposed to measles at Asbury University revival. 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. Biden was treated for basal cell carcinoma. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. Hot Dogs and Processed Meats as Bad as Cigarettes? Oh yeah, sometimes a worker loses a finger or two in the goop vats. Men's Health Review: Dymatize Protein Powder, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. "In most cases, pork found its way into chicken and turkey sausages," said Clear Food. Only one of the molecules has vitamin statusNR. The study suggests that those looking for a DNA-free dog should head to Target, Safeway and Walmart, the study reports. Hot dogs were found to contain different types of meat than what was listed on the label. Scientists may have tracked down the small percentage of DNA that might give modern humans the qualities unique to the species. ", 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." And for most of the Internet, it was enough reason to go into full-on panic mode. The study was conducted by Clear Food, a consumer guide that makes its recommendations based on DNA analysis. The hot dog and sausage report was self-funded, according to Clear Food. Most consumers would be pleased and surprised to find out how clean and sanitary these plants are.