February 12 is the 2023 Super Bowl LVII, and what better way to celebrate this annual sporting event than by enjoying the deliciousness of a chip and dip combo with some family and friends? 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. 2023 - All Rights Reserved. Americans spent $2.4 billion last year on hot dogs and another $2.74 billion on sausages according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. But the ingredients of hot dogs aren't nearly as ominous as we're often led to believe. And, yep, 10 percent of them contained meat. What are they going to tell us? Maybe Not, Study Shows, A Broccoli Anti-Aging Enzyme may Hold the Fountain of Youth, Illinois Ag. But "people" is an ingredient most would expect limited to Soylent Green. "Imagine how many apples could test positive after being handled by half the people shopping in the grocery store," he says. 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. It's sometimes referred to as the queen of greens because its nutritional value is just about unmatched. However, areport uncoveredsome startling findingson what peopleare really eating when theybite into a frankfurter. One study found that wieners, bacon and other processed meats probably contribute to cancer, and now news of this study comes out. Does anyone leave a hotdog plant without taking a Silkwood shower? What makes us human? .css-13y9o4w{display:block;font-family:GraphikBold,GraphikBold-fallback,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-13y9o4w:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.05rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.28598rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.39461rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.3;}}Men's Health Review: Dymatize Protein Powder, America's 7 Most Inventive Hot Dog Styles, The Best Plant-Based Chicken, Pork, and Seafood, Here's What You Need to Know About Vitamin B12. DNA is not a food safety hazard, says Jonathan A. Campbell, Ph.D., a Meat Specialist and Assistant Professor at Penn State University. As in, homo sapiens. Regionally, the top 3 specialty and regional hot dog brands were Gardein, Taverrites and Field to Family Natural Foods. What they found was that 14.4 percent of the items tested were problematic in some way, either as a result of contamination - which means that a non-harmful contaminant was found, most often human DNA - or substitution, which is where another food ingredient that's not on the label has been added. " Report: Human DNA Found in Hot Dogs " said USA Today, in a typical example. This publicity stunt changes nothing about the fundamental safety of Americas carefully regulated and inspected hot dogs.. A report by California startup Clear Food. MORE: The 26 Hot Dogs Every Man Must Devour. "Likewise, when they suggest that some products showed the presence of another species, like chicken in a beef product, this could also be from a single cell and even result from very practice of pulling samples from multiple packages in the same room as the company may have done.". ", Milkowski adds: "Certainly their information can make some juicy headlines and promote their organization, but I personally do not trust any of it. Sean Gallup/Getty Images By Tina Hesman Saey July 16, 2021 at. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council has attempted to reach Clear Food multiple times for further explanation on the report, according to Riley. Oh, and she loves to take care of two ridiculously- spoiled cats in her free time. Vegetarian hot dog products surprisingly fared the worst in this regard, with four out of the 21 products tested containing human DNA. Researchers found issues with 14.4 percent of analyzed samples. Its not all about, about 10 Foods Thatll Have You Sleeping Like A Baby. Vegetarian hot dog products surprisingly fared the worst in this regard, with four out of the 21 products tested containing human DNA. How is anything from the bodies of a hotdog worker getting into the mix? Even more disturbing, 66 percent of those cases were found in vegetarian-labeled products. 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. Human DNA. Hot Dogs and Processed Meats as Bad as Cigarettes? Clear Foodalso finds "there are a number of hot dog manufacturers, large and small, that are producing high-quality hot dogs with integrity.". 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. And they "provide limited information on their methodology. The study, conducted by food analytics lab Clear Food, analyzed 345 different hot dogs and sausages, including vegetarian versions. "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'. They analyzed 345 hot dogs from 75 brands, and found "human DNA in 2% of the samples, and in 2/3rds of the vegetarian samples.". A new report, however, adds extra meaning to the phrase "you don't want to know how the sausage gets made.". The Hot Dog Report, Clear Food web site; http://www.clearfood.com/food_reports/2015/the_hotdog_report, last accessed October 30, 2015. Is it true that a study found that some hot dog brands contained human DNA? Overall, 14.4 percent of the hot dogs and sausages tested by Clear Foods "were. 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 . It does, however, score products based on hygiene, safety and accurate labeling. 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.". For the record, no, hot dogs don't contain anus. The online food guide, which uses "genomic technology" to examine foods by ingredients, foundhuman DNA in 2% of the samples. While it may be the time of year when horror stories are passed around, the researchers believe that what theyre finding traces of isnt from chunks of human flesh, but rather from poor quality control standards that are resulting in human DNA entering the products in the forms of saliva, skin fragments (such as dry skin flakes), hair, and broken fingernails. Now thatsahygienic issue. Basically, any food that you haven't personally grown or harvested. ", 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. 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. It also found human DNA in 2 percent of its hot dog samples and two-thirds of the vegetarian samples. And most of our top guys have seriously dry skin. What are they going to tell us? And Gardein topped the specialty and regional hot dog list. Researchers found evidence of meat in products that did not list those ingredients on the label, including veggie dogs. Are Farmers Being Manipulated Into Buying GMO Soybean Seeds? Human DNA. Scientists may have tracked down the small percentage of DNA that might give modern humans the qualities unique to the species. Farmer Reports: GMOs Causing Deformities, Birth Defects in Piglets, GMO Corn and Herbicide Found in 100% of Frito-Lay SunChips Samples, Dangerous Ingredients: 54% of Food Sold at Walmart is Banned by Whole Foods Market, EWG Report: Your Tap Water is Contaminated with Toxic Forever Chemicals, Is Non-Toxic Nail Polish Really Non-Toxic? 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.". The study suggests that those looking for a DNA-free dog should head to Target, Safeway and Walmart, the study reports. They classified the types of issues as either substitution and hygienic. 2015 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The researchers found human DNA in two percent of samples, and 2/3 of those products containing human DNA were vegetarian products. And for most of the Internet, it was enough reason to go into full-on panic mode. Two-thirds of that human DNA was found in vegetarian hot dogs. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Clear Food Labs, a food analytics start-up found that 10% of vegetarian hot . That could very well leave skin cells or other DNA sources on equipment, Campbell says. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, a trade group that represents hog dog and sausage manufacturers, called the report a "publicity stunt. "That could very well leave skin cells or other DNA sources on equipment," Campbell says. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. "Theres the old saying, 'You dont want to know how the sausage get made.' "The U.S. does not allow blood," he says. 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. Theres a concept thatll haunt you if you think about it too much. 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. Is there any food more maligned than the lowly hot dog? 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. 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? 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.). Do you really know whats in your food? It also found human DNA in 2 percent of its hot dog samples and two-thirds of the vegetarian samples. ", 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. Sign Up for the Latest Health News and Tips, Home - Most Popular News Human DNA Found in Hot Dogs. 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.". They're still, as with most things in life, best in moderation. Hot dogs haven't received much love lately. Human DNA was found in 2 percent of the samples, which doesn't mean that there were traces of human meat in the sausages, but simply that there was some kind of contamination, so that could be through a stray hair or skin cells, or potentially even saliva. Butterball, McCormick, Eckrich and Hebrew National were among the major brands that received top scores from Clear Foods. There were also issues with the nutritional content listed . Is that even possible? The study also concludes that 10 percent of veggie dog brands tested contained meat. The human DNA found in the dogs is largely the result of hair and broken fingernails.