How is anything from the bodies of a hotdog worker getting into the mix? Molecular biologists at Clear Labs then extracted the DNA from samples of these products and matched them to the genetic code of different animals. So what are we missing? NR is a form of vitamin B3. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. If you crunched the numbers, it was admittedly alarming. Hope you enjoyed your lunch, Hannibal Lecter. Sean Gallup/Getty Images By Tina Hesman Saey July 16, 2021 at. But it's there. And for most of the Internet, it was enough reason to go into full-on panic mode. ", Milkowski adds: "Certainly their information can make some juicy headlines and promote their organization, but I personally do not trust any of it. 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.". 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. However, Janet Riley, president of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, said Clear Food "has said very little about its sample collection procedure. Apparently not too many of us do. "Skin is not allowed as it has no muscle tissue and thus does not qualify as a muscle trimming. As one example, in the mid-nineteenth century, rumors suggested that butchers used dog meat for their hot dogs. A new report, however, adds extra meaning to the phrase "you don't want to know how the sausage gets made.". It does, however, score products based on hygiene, safety and accurate labeling. Could Hibiscus Tea be Better than High Blood Pressure Drugs? Additionally, 10 percent of all vegetarian products appeared to contain meat. The first human DNA gleaned from cave dirt came from Denisova Cave in Siberia in 2017. They classified the types of issues as either substitution and hygienic. As for specialty picks, the study suggested Taverrite's pork sausages and vegetarian option Gardien. But hey, customers hardly ever taste the flakes.. Veggie dogs were the worst off, accounting for 67 percent of the hygiene issues and two-thirds of the human DNA found. Hot dogs are considered one of the most American foods. Hot dog ingredients have long been a source of controversy. Sign Up for the Latest Health News and Tips, Home - Most Popular News Human DNA Found in Hot Dogs. The researchers found human DNA in two percent of samples, and 2/3 of those products containing human DNA were vegetarian products. Is that even possible? Clear Foods also analyzed vegetarian hot dogs and sausages. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story mistakenly listed the Taverrite's brand as vegetarian. A new DNA analysis of hot dogs and sausages in the US has revealed a few harsh realities about everyone's favourite street food. A report found some evidence of human DNA in a small percentage of tested hot dogs, a study shows. Maybe Not, Study Shows, A Broccoli Anti-Aging Enzyme may Hold the Fountain of Youth, Illinois Ag. Well, it is true that human DNA was found in about 2 percent of hot dogs that were analyzed in one study, TruthOrFiction.com reported. Sources for Todays Article: Probably not, right? Department Illegally Seizes Privately Owned Bees Resistant to GMO Poison, Breakdown of GMO Labeling Laws in Each Country (Global Map), What Theyre Not Telling You About Monsantos Role in Ukraine, Toxic Weedkiller Dicamba Drift Damages Crops Across America. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. 2015 CBS Interactive 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. The study, conducted by food analytics lab Clear Food, analyzed 345 different hot dogs and sausages, including vegetarian versions. What is DNA? First of all, let's all take a deep breath. "In most cases, pork found its way into chicken and turkey sausages," said Clear Food. This publicity stunt changes nothing about the fundamental safety of Americas carefully regulated and inspected hot dogs.. 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. Beef, chicken, pork, and lamb were all found as unlisted ingredients. Well, we did want to find out," Clear Labs Cofounder Mahni Ghorashi told Huffington Post. 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. In general, we consider human DNA a hygienic issue that degrades the quality of food more than a public health concern," Sasan Amini, also a Clear Labs cofounder, told HuffPost. MORE: 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. America's 120-year-old love affair with hot dogs extends from ballparks to backyards to the White House. And so does most food that was processed, cooked, boxed, or placed on a supermarket shelf by another human being. Is it true that a study found that some hot dog brands contained human DNA? 2023 - All Rights Reserved. Unless you also want to give up eating fruits and vegetables. ", "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. "Theres the old saying, 'You dont want to know how the sausage get made.' " Report: Human DNA Found in Hot Dogs " said USA Today, in a typical example. 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." So, sorry, there arent any pig anuses in hot dogs. In 2014 Americans spent $2.5 billion on hot dogs, another $2.74 billion on dinner sausages, and over half a billion on breakfast sausages. She is also the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. That's right, human DNA. The study suggests that those looking for a DNA-free dog should head to Target, Safeway and Walmart, the study reports. 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? 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Yes, human DNA! Additionally, 10% of vegetarian hot dogs sold today contain traces of meat. Does anyone leave a hotdog plant without taking a Silkwood shower? "Theres the old saying, 'You dont want to know how the sausage get made.' Moreover, the amount of protein listed in some of the vegetarian products exaggerated the amount of protein in the item by as much as 250 percent, according to the report. Do you really know whats in your food? And despite the genomic tests being done in California crowd-sourced labs, they probably dont have any people parts. NR, on the other hand, can make its way into the cell on its own. "DNA testing produces no end of surprises but I seriously doubt that parts of human remains are incorporated into even the cheapest sausages. But there were plenty of impartial meat academics happy to weigh in. Altogether, 75 different hot dog brands from 10 different retailers were studied. Woot! To be clear, the presence of human DNA does not mean there is human flesh in the hot dogs. However, no kosher dogs tested contained pork. Vegetarian hot dog products surprisingly fared the worst in this regard, with four out of the 21 products tested containing human DNA. Meers, W., Hot Dogs Contain Human DNA, Veggie Dogs Contain Meat: Study, The Huffington Post web site, October 28, 2015; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hot-dogs-dna-veggie-dogs-meat_562e45abe4b0ec0a38950dc5. Americans eat 20 billion hot dogs and 14 billion servings of sausages each year, according to the council. 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. 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/. We didnt reach out to any of the major hot dog manufacturers, because obviously they would only deny the studys findings. Clear Food says its testing found human DNA in two percent of all hot dog samples. A study of both meat and vegetarian hot dogs showed that they contain unadvertised ingredients - including human DNA. 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. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms. The researchers found human DNA in two percent of samples, and 2/3 of those products containing human DNA were vegetarian products. Hot dogs have never been seen as prime cuts of meat, but a new study has found human DNA in some samples. It's sometimes referred to as the queen of greens because its nutritional value is just about unmatched. The researchers found that there were issues with more than 14% of the samples analyzed. It sounds horrifying. 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. "It is unlikely that human DNA is harmful to consumer health. Who are Really the Top Shareholders of Monsanto? Then, long links of hot dogs are cooked in a smokehouse, cooled by being passed under a. Developed By, Antibiotics Could be to Blame for Skyrocketing Mental Illness Rates. Scientists may have tracked down the small percentage of DNA that might give modern humans the qualities unique to the species. (Supplied: University of Hasanuddin) 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. "DNA is not a food safety hazard," says Jonathan A. Campbell, Ph.D., a Meat Specialist and Assistant Professor at Penn State University. It's not like somebody found a pinkie in a Hebrew National. Hot Dogs and Processed Meats as Bad as Cigarettes? 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. MORE: The 26 Hot Dogs Every Man Must Devour. Occasionally human workers are involved in the process, but theyre wearing so much protective gear youd think they were handling plutonium. And if this new research is in any way factual, 1.4 of your yearly hot dogs have bits of people in them. 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. During these very stressful times, it can be challenging to fall asleep or stay asleep. But a word of warning - the scientists only looked at one sample of each product, so it's hard to get a clear picture from that limited information about the overall safety and accuracy of an entire product line or brand. Did you buy every apple or orange or potato or avocado that you groped or squeezed to make sure it was fresh? 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.. "Oh yeah, sometimes a worker loses a finger or two in the goop vats. This $50 Meal Prep Plan Will Help You Build Muscle, 10 Food Subscription Boxes Worth Ordering, Theres Nothing Special About Gut Health Diets. In effect, almost all U.S. hot dogs are made with just meat.". 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. 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. But the good news from the report (yes, there is some!) Two-thirds of the human DNA was found in vegetarian products. Or lips. For hot dogs without human DNA, the study found that Walmart, Target, and Safeway were the safest retailers to buy from. 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? A new study has just revealed that hot dogs might, if research is to be believed, have a little human DNA in it. According to a study from Clear Labs, an independent food analytics startup, 10 percent of vegetarian hot dog products contain meat. After the WHO went public with their findings on the effects of red meat and cancer, there's more troubling news from the meat industry. There's a concept that'll haunt you if you think about it too much. "Imagine how many apples could test positive after being handled by half the people shopping in the grocery store," he says. So what does this mean to you? 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. The human DNA found in the dogs is largely the result of hair and broken fingernails. 9 Surprising Foods Packed With Vitamin C. Initial attempts by USA TODAY Network to. But pig anus may seem like a more appetizing option when compared with the latest hot dog accusation. Vegetarian hot dog products surprisingly fared the worst in this regard, with four out of the 21 products tested containing human DNA. 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. It could have come from the person doing the analysis in the lab, says Rentfrow. Clear Food analyzed 345 hot dogs and sausages from 75 different brands sold at 10retailers and found that 14% had hygienic or substitution issues, according to thereport.