Human DNA Found In 66% Of Vegetarian Hot Dogs
Source: USA Today, via Joe.My.God
October 26, 2015 Uncategorized
News sites are blowing up today with the latest linking of processed meat consumption and cancer rates, but THIS story is far more intriguing. Via USA Today:
Hot dogs are considered one of the most American foods. However, a report uncovers some startling findings on what people are really eating when they bite into a frankfurter. Clear Food analyzed 345 hot dogs and sausages from 75 different brands sold at 10 retailers and found that 14% had hygienic or substitution issues, according to the report. (Substitution means when ingredients are added to the product that are not displayed on the label and hygienic issues happen when a non-harmful contaminant is introduced to the hot dog.) The online food guide, which uses genomic technology to examine foods by ingredients, found human DNA in 2% of the samples, and in two-thirds of the vegetarian samples.
Its not clear what the source of the human DNA might be. More from CNN:
Clear Foods is a company that translates quantifiable molecular tests into actionable food data insights, according to its website. In English, that means it uses genetic sequencing to figure out just whats in your lunch. Its results on hot dogs arent always comforting. Overall, the company found nutritional label inaccuracies, pork substitution and some unexpected ingredients, including chicken and lamb. On the other hand, Clear gave high marks to a variety of manufacturers, both national and regional. Butterball, McCormick, Eckrich and Hebrew National led among national brands, each with a score of 96 out of 100, based on Clears formula.
Read more: http://www.joemygod.com/2015/10/26/human-dna-found-in-66-of-vegetarian-hot-dogs/
It's probably just from handling them, don't you think? I mean, isn't it?
Anyway, now you know what to hand out for Halloween.
Coming up (I'll say) on the late news: World Health Organization changes course; decides a diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is bad for you. Film at eleven.
Report: Human DNA found in hot dogs
Hot dogs are considered one of the most American foods. ... However, a report uncovers some startling findings on what people are really eating when they bite into a frankfurter.
Clear Food analyzed 345 hot dogs and sausages from 75 different brands sold at 10 retailers and found that 14% had hygienic or substitution issues, according to the report.
(Substitution means when ingredients are added to the product that are not displayed on the label and hygienic issues happen when a "non-harmful contaminant is introduced to the hot dog."
The online food guide, which uses "genomic technology" to examine foods by ingredients, found human DNA in 2% of the samples, and in two-thirds of the vegetarian samples."
Full disclosure: even I have put a pack of half-smokes back on the shelf after reading the list of ingredients. Fortunately, a higher-priced brand had a less-alarming group of ingredients.
And I just love scrapple, though I haven't had any in years. Every time I get the urge, I go over the list of ingredients, and I end up putting the package back on the shelf.
Ingredients
roamer65
(36,739 posts)PeoViejo
(2,178 posts)The rest went through the Treatment Plant long ago.
uawchild
(2,208 posts)Shades of the Sopranos and the Satriales' sausage making / body disposal episode!
"I don't know, Tone --- it just tastes funny."
central scrutinizer
(11,617 posts)Swearingen endorsed!
InAbLuEsTaTe
(24,110 posts)Liberalagogo
(1,770 posts)PatrynXX
(5,668 posts)shit burgers with whatever in hot dogs (blame japan)
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)MowCowWhoHow III
(2,103 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)m-lekktor
(3,675 posts)riversedge
(69,724 posts)Auggie
(31,061 posts)who once pooped in the flavoring vat.
frizzled
(509 posts)Skatole, to be precise. Maybe the tobacco turned out smelling like flowers.
Blech. Lol.
randys1
(16,286 posts)Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)randys1
(16,286 posts)Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)Xipe Totec
(43,872 posts)montanacowboy
(6,052 posts)Glad I am a vegetarian!
JI7
(89,177 posts)Skittles
(152,964 posts)they're referring to "vegetarian hot dogs", whatever the f*** *THAT* is
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)you didnt' read the story too closely. The human DNA was found in veggie dogs.
ToxMarz
(2,154 posts)How much more American can you get than making them out of actual Americans.
eppur_se_muova
(36,227 posts)Maybe hamburgers ? Oh, wait ...
Xipe Totec
(43,872 posts)drm604
(16,230 posts)Their wording does make it sound like 2/3 of vegetarian hot dogs contain human DNA, but that's not what the original report says.
http://www.clearfood.com/food_reports/2015/the_hotdog_report
7962
(11,841 posts)DeadLetterOffice
(1,352 posts)Enrique
(27,461 posts)the USA Today story seems to have the facts straight.
IronLionZion
(45,259 posts)mahatmakanejeeves
(56,897 posts)Last edited Tue Oct 27, 2015, 11:27 AM - Edit history (3)
That information is missing, certainly from the USA Today McStory. Is it 1%? 2%? 3%?
Let's say the samplers went out and bought 3,000 packages of hot dogs. What we have been told is that 2% of those 3,000 packages contained human DNA. That's 60 packages. Of those 60 packages, 40 were vegetarian products.
What I do not know is if vegetarian products are overrepresented in the contaminated group, underrepresented in the contaminated group, or on a par in the contaminated group. If you went out and bought 3,000 packages of hot dogs at random, how many of those would be vegetarian products?
Are vegetarian hot dogs more likely to contain human DNA than regular hot dogs, less likely to contain human DNA than regular hot dogs, or as likely to contain human DNA than regular hot dogs?
Let's say vegetarian hot dogs are 5% of the market. I don't know; I'm just making up numbers. Of the 3,000 packages of hot dogs the samplers buy, 5%, or 150, are vegetarian, and 95%, or 2,850, are regular. The testing finds 2% of the total population, or 60, are contaminated. 40 of those are vegetarian, and 20 are regular. In terms of percent, 40 out of 150 packages of vegetarian hotdogs, or 27% of them, are contaminated. 20 out of 2,850 packages of regular hot dogs, or 0.7%, are contaminated. That would make vegetarian hot dogs 38 times as likely as regular hot dogs to be contaminated.
Did I do that right? Outraged statisticians, please feel free to point out my errors (beyond the obvious one, pretending to be a statistician).
I doubt that vegetarian hot dogs constitute as much as 5% of the market. Juggle the assumptions around, and the numbers change.
Also, are the results being skewed by false positives? I recall the paradox of false positives on drug tests. Give me a few minutes, and I'll find an account. Here we go:
False positive paradox
7962
(11,841 posts)killerbean
(2 posts)It's probably from men porking pigs.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Randomly off the store shelves. And reported in public. Don't forget ice cream and other dairy.
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)I'll stick with the old mouth to snout receipe.
frizzled
(509 posts)That's the food chain for ya!
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)Kilgore
(1,733 posts)4lbs
(6,756 posts)The level is extremely low, but still, all flour contains very very small bits of insects.
So, anything that is made with flour (bread, donuts, pancakes, waffles, etc.) have a few milligrams of insects.
JudyM
(29,122 posts)Humanist_Activist
(7,670 posts)or a grinder, pretty much any food that's mixed up, smashed, chopped and ground is going to have non-food contaminates in them. Today far less of them than in the past.
I don't see how this is alarming, unless people want us to go through the expense of only processing foods in rooms that meet or exceed the standards for clean rooms used in microchip manufacturing, we are going to have to tolerate such contaminates.
4lbs
(6,756 posts)Last edited Tue Oct 27, 2015, 09:12 PM - Edit history (1)
With a typical frankfurter being about 2 ounces, that's 56 grams of product.
If 1/10 gram is human DNA, then that is 1/560, or 1/5 percent.
That means the vegetarian product is 99.8% vegetarian.
Nothing to be concerned about.
Humanist_Activist
(7,670 posts)and practical sterility practices, like what you would do in a public kitchen, gloves on hands, wash hands before handling food, make sure equipment is clean etc.
I'd be much more concerned about bacteria and virus counts anyway, human contamination means nothing as long as its not enough to count as cannibalism. lol
Response to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)
mainer This message was self-deleted by its author.
Kali
(54,990 posts)math is wrong but it is a hilarious finding anyway
GOLGO 13
(1,681 posts)Don't care what's in them.
youceyec
(394 posts)DNA is just nucleic acids. By themselves not harmful in any way.
ChairmanAgnostic
(28,017 posts)How often do they use real girl scouts, rather than some artificial flavoring?
hunter
(38,264 posts)I used to work for a computer manufacturer, occasionally venturing into the clean room dressed up like a space man. (I wasn't a technical person so much as young muscle moving things.)
Smokers shed so many particles they're not even allowed into the room clean room workers suit up in.
I'm also the sort who thinks there is more inter-species gene transfer going on than we think. (No, not that kind!)
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)Kaleva
(36,146 posts)leftofcool
(19,460 posts)MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)Turned up to be -- beef.
Make fun of kosher over site all you want. Sometimes the old ways are the best ways.
HuckleB
(35,773 posts)Why you shouldnt panic about human DNA in veggie dogs
http://www.vox.com/2015/10/31/9636174/human-dna-hot-dog
Stop Freaking Out About Human DNA in Hot Dogs
http://gizmodo.com/stop-freaking-out-about-human-dna-in-hot-dogs-1739285946
Did a "study" really find that hot dog brands regularly contain human DNA and unlabeled meat substitutions?
http://www.snopes.com/clear-foods-hot-dog-dna-study/