MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 26 (UPI) — A California startup analyzing food on a molecular level announced some hard news about one of the most beloved foods in the United States: 2 percent of hot dogs contain human DNA.
Clear Food, the consumer guide wing of Menlo Park startup Clear Labs, said it analysed 345 hot dogs and sausages from 75 brands sold at 10 different retailers and discovered 14.4 percent of the products included ingredients that were not listed on the label.
The startup said several of the tested brands had “hygienic” issues.
“Hygienic issues occur when some sort of non-harmful contaminant is introduced to the hot dog, in most cases, human DNA,” the company said.
The report said 2 percent of the samples — including 2/3 of the vegetarian hot dogs in the sample — tested positive for human DNA.
Clear Food said several products contained meats not listed on the labels, and 4 of the 21 vegetarian products sampled were found to contain traces of meat.
The company said the “Top 10 Major Hot Dog Brands” that were found to contain the least contaminants were Butterball, McCormick, Eckrich, Hebrew National, Simply Balanced, Aidells, Jennie-O, Boar’s Head, Oscar Mayer and O Organics.
Oscar Mayer Premium Jumbo Beef Franks were given Clear Food’s top honors as the “Best Hot Dog” in the test results.
[hdplay id=343]
