What You Don't Know Won't Kill You
Facts you may not know and maybe don't want to know about YOUR Food
.............But what about when it comes to processed foods? Is there really any way to know how many insect parts has been ground right up with the rest of the ingredients? Probably not.
Think insect parts and rodent hairs are more of a rarity? Think again. An Ohio University fact sheet estimates that we eat from one to two pounds of insects each year, and without knowing it.
This is Gross, but is it Dangerous?
Quite the contrary. "They're actually pretty healthy," says Dr. Philip Nixon, an entomologist at the University of Illinois, in regard to insects, "If we were more willing to accept certain defect levels such as insects and insect parts, growers could reduce pesticide usage. Some of the spraying that goes on is directly related to the aesthetics of our food."
How Many Rodent Hairs and Insect Parts Are In...?
The FDA's action level for peanut butter is 30 or more insect fragments or one or more rodent hairs per 100 grams.
Here is a very brief sampling of the FDA's Food Defect Action Level list. They begin investigation when foods reach the action level they've set. According to the FDA, typical foods contain about 10 percent of the action level, but others say they contain more like 40 percent.
CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR
· Insect filth: Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments
· Rodent filth: Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined OR any 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs
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
RED FISH AND OCEAN PERCH
· Parasites: 3% of the fillets examined contain 1 or more parasites accompanied by pus pockets
MACARONI AND NOODLE PRODUCTS
· Insect filth: Average of 225 insect fragments or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples
· Rodent filth: Average of 4.5 rodent hairs or more per 225 grams in 6 or more subsamples
· Insect filth: Average of 30 or more insect fragments per 100 grams
· Rodent filth: Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams
· Rodent filth: 1 or more rodent excreta pellets are found in 1 or more subsamples, and 1 or more rodent hairs are found in 2 or more other subsamples OR 2 or more rodent hairs per pound and rodent hair is found in 50% or more of the subsamples OR 20 or more gnawed grains per pound and rodent hair is found in 50% or more of the subsamples
· Insect filth: Average of 75 or more insect fragments per 50 grams
· Rodent filth: Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 50 grams
Can these things be avoided? To avoid all unsavory food components, it seems, would be to stop eating all together. And perhaps we're just being too squeamish. After all, as Dr. Manfred Kroger, a professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University, says, "Let's face it, much of our food comes from nature, and nature is not perfect."
Here is the link: http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/06/29/how-many-insect-parts-and-rodent-hairs-are-allowed-in-your-food.htm
© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere
I researched and wrote this article. Please do not copy and paste any part of this article, picture included for your own use. I will find you and report you for stealing. It is my right to change any information therein at any time and/or change the location of my article.