![[#Beginning of Shooting Data Section] Nikon D2H Focal Length: 55mm Optimize Image: Color Mode: Mode I (sRGB) Long Exposure NR: Off 200611�7 22:54:16.4 Exposure Mode: Programmed Auto* White Balance: Preset d-1 Tone Comp.: Auto Compressed RAW (12-bit) Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern AF Mode: AF-S Hue Adjustment: 0° Image Size: Large (2464 x 1632) 190 sec - F3.5 Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached Saturation: Exposure Comp.: 0 EV Sharpening: Auto Lens: 55mm F2.8 Sensitivity: ISO 200 Image Comment: Copyright Daytona DVD Inc. [#End of Shooting Data Section]](https://i0.wp.com/onehundreddollarsamonth.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/small-mouse.jpg?resize=551%2C370&ssl=1)
Recently I did a post about How Gummies Are Made that grossed me out for life. If that wasn’t bad enough, I got the following comment on that post that lead me down another rabbit hole.
“Doesn’t bother me at all….food has to come from somewhere. 🙂 If you really want to be grossed out, check out ‘percentage of allowable filth’ in canned, packaged, and processed food. I cook almost exclusively from scratch just for this reason.” ~Deb
Well Deb, I’m not sure whether to hug you or pinch you, because I started doing some research and couldn’t stop {read it. Wait, don’t read it. No, do. Ignorance is not bliss sometimes!!}. You guys, I’m TOTALLY grossed out. I think we all knew a few bugs were allowed in flour… but the berries!!!! I will never buy frozen berries again.
Here is a small list of allowable items in your food and one quote fro the article. Aside from the quote, I’m not going to list what foods they are in so if you do choose to go the ignorance route, you won’t hate me. But maybe it will peak your interest enough to go read the full article {and then GAG!}.
Maggots, mice, rodent hair, mold, insect parts {legs, heads, wings, thoraxes, etc}, tiny insects like aphids, larva, ground, crushed and pulverized bones, fly eggs, mammalian excreta, rodent poop, and NO I AM NOT KIDDING.
“Up to 60 percent of frozen berries can be moldy, with an average of 4 or more larvae, or 10 or more whole insects, per 500 grams. To give you an idea of what that means for you: most pie recipes call for about 550 grams (5 cups) of berries.”
Gross, gross, gross. I try to cook from scratch often, but this article has me wanting to do nothing but. Holy Toledos, I was so naive. And now that I know, I can’t un-know. Did you know? Does it bother you? And why on earth do people not talk about this if it is common knowledge and I was the last to know?
Heading to clean out the pantry…
~Mavis
Daddio7 says
I can not believe you never knew what the contamination standards for food products were. The amounts are minuscule, nothing you can actually see. One reason we waste so much food in the West is our desire for perfection. If all produce was grown organically theses standards would need to be relaxed even more.
Now some things are very unappetizing to think about. At one time I was a fresh market potato grower and at harvest time we would size out the small potatoes. It would take a week to get enough to make a load. Often they would start rotting and the cannery would adjust the price or even dump them. One delivery driver told me that at a hash brown plant they took everything. One of the operators told him those loads fry up nice and crispy. It was years before I could eat hash browns again.
Vanessa says
Agree, this is not new information. I worked in a diner years ago by a big cereal plant. Fed the workers daily. It’s impossible to stop rats from getting into train cars filled with grain. Absolutely impossible. To think one’s organic flour is clear of such is impossible as well.
Julie vassar says
Mavis, I too have been grossed out by what is allowed in our foods. I started doing research about 2 years ago not only about the chemicals in our processed foods but also the packaging lined with poisons. So i have gone to all home grown fruits and vegetables, cooking by scratch. What I can’t grow i will buy organic. Believe me when i do have something that is processed I can taste the chemicals in it. Yuck! Like you when you know better you do better..It is amazing what is allowed to be marketed to us and our children all for profit to these corporations.
Jenny says
Had a cousin that worked at a baby food cannery and they would get a quarter a grasshopper for every one that they pulled out of the line when they were processing spinach. Twenty dollars for the rats. It was just a part of dealing with fresh produce.
Wynne says
That’s a cool story! At least they were making an effort to reduce the contamination, and including everyone in the job.
Rosaleen says
Oh, Yum!
FDA standards=Out tax dollars in action! We could scream for stricter standards, or, as does Mavis, cook more from scratch. As to frozen fruits: Buy whole frozen berries and rinse, maybe? We do need to remember fruits and veggies come from the ground, or at least outside. Wash as well as possible with a vinegar solution and move on.
Mudiekitty says
Have a friend whose mother worked at an orange juice cannery. Her job was to remove the rats from the year old vats of orange juice. Ever notice store bought juice all tastes the same (added chemicals) — juice your own. No wonder they pasteurize everything. No nutritional content left. This was years ago, so no telling hat happens now.
My ex worked at Air Canada (aircraft mechanic — now retired) and said it was a regular occurrence for the the dried goods from overseas to “move”… full of bugs! I take nothing for granted now, cook from scratch and accept what cannot be changed.
Kimberly says
You have to remember that just because something is allowable, doesn’t mean it happens frequently or is common. Yes, there is contamination, but most companies are going to avoid it as much as possible because: 1-who is going to continue to buy their product if it has bugs/rat hair/etc in it? 2-contaminants can lead to outbreaks of illness causing recalls which equals bad press and profit loss. I am more worried about the safety of food manufactured in other countries such as China, which is then sold in the U.S. than food manufactured here (with the exception of food manufactured/processed in western Europe, where standards are higher than they are here).
Leslie says
I agree Kimberly, and as a grower/processor of frozen raspberries I want people to know that our buyers (not the government) have very high standards for the fruit we sell them. Each buyer has specifications that we must adhere to. We sample and test for contaminants frequently as the fruit is being processed to ensure that it is clean. Different buyers accept different levels of mold, and HEM (harmless extraneous materials — leaf pieces, berry core pieces, etc.). I think rodent hair is an automatic fail. We are also required to be Good Agricultural Practices certified, which means that our harvesting machines, fields, storage and food handling practices follow guidelines to avoid the presence of rodents(all storage areas have monitored traps), any possible fruit contamination from pesticides, fertilizers, any chemicals like fuels, lubricants (storage areas are away from field, locked, monitored, inventory logged). Our crew is trained in safe food handling practices, and monitored on their performance daily. I even have to log any evidence I find of wild animals traversing through our field. Add to this regimen the vagaries of weather –mold in humid wet conditions, mite infestations in dry hot weather, battling fruit fly larva during a late season — all require concentrated diligence. In my opinion, we are required to do whatever is humanly possible to keep contaminants out of the fruit, short of growing everything in a laboratory. The paradox for me is that people long for naturally grown food, but will not tolerate any perceived opportunity or occurrence of contamination. Folks! Natural is not equal to the Garden of Eden! We don’t live there any more. There are bugs and dirt, and diseases present in both, that we can not eliminate from the growing process. The best we can do is keep the amount of contaminants very small. And we are doing that in our growing/processing operation. We have the testing records to prove it, and the gray hair — on our heads, hair nets required when we are by the fruit. Our buyers know what the consumers want, and they require it from us, and we want the same thing– the highest quality possible. Granted, not everyone is like this — let me say, you get what you pay for, just keep that in mind. Not all suppliers of fruit are the same. Also, I just always have to say that you can not be phobic about germs and bugs and mold if you claim to be committed to natural foods. Even if you grow it yourself, you’re in contact with them.
Laura says
Completely agree! All the talk of “cooking from scratch” to avoid these contaminants kinda cracks me up. We have mold and critters, etc. in all food. It just might not be visible. I think you can do your best to avoid “stuff” in your foods and then you move on.
And, I agree with the other poster, avoid foods processed outside countries with high standards, especially China. That country is willing to poison babies with plastics in formula for pete’s sake and dogs with junk in the food. Doubt that whatever humans eat is any different because they simply don’t care if anyone is harmed. Which is gross.
Teckla says
Years ago (I am now 69) my Mom told me about her experience working in a cannery. She said she could hardly believe what went into creamed corn and tomatoes. Both of those were things my Dad liked so she fixed them, but I think it came hard for her to eat stuff like that. To the extent she could, wherever we lived, she had a garden and canned/froze as much food as she could. And we know that standards have relaxed a lot since then! Just another reason to grow and can/freeze our own food. The quality control is very different when you are doing it yourself. I worked in a cannery when I was in my 20’s so I know that there is too much truth in what we are hearing. I was on the beet line and it was incredible how many rotten beets went into the cans, especially the larger beets that were designated for the large “institution” cans! The lines move too fast. There is no human way you can pull all that stuff out, even with an operator on each side of the belt. And the soup line with green beans. Ugh! I stick my head in the sand and eat stuff now because I don’t have the option of canning, but I’m trying to reach the place where I do have that option. No question in my mind that made from scratch is the best option. Still old fashioned and not apologizing for it.
Kacy says
I am surprised at your surprise! I’m new here, but it seems you are a gardener… Like Rosaleen said, food is grown outdoors, where the creatures live. Even if it is grown indoors, the creatures will find their way to it. The thresher and the combine are not picking out the bug bits and the moldy parts and the poopy pieces, that’s for sure. Mind you, I don’t want to FIND any of these items in my soup, but I know they’re there in some form. Personally, I’d rather have bugs on my kale than a whole lot of germy human hands that have been … Who knows where? Now that grosses me out.
deb says
Mavis, I hope it’s hugs and not pinches! All this being said, people have been exposed to gunk and crud for thousands of years and we are much healthier now than then. As always, if we want something done right, we need to do it ourselves. Gardening and either canning or freezing our own food at the source (even if you buy produce at the farmer’s market) is always the best way to ensure cleanliness standards. Convenience comes at a price. (By the way, I will not ever mention what goes on in a lot of restaurant kitchens…..I don’t want to spoil your dates with HH!)
Kristina says
I’m chuckling about how everyone assumes “old-fashioned” means clean. Back when almost everyone was a subsistence farmer (you know, the good ol’ days, as everyone likes to say), folks ate everything, including buggy bread and half-rotten food. Because starvation. I’m sure what we throw out as bad food now would seem quaint to them. I’m with Kacy– much more concerned with the hand sanitation of vegetable pickers than of anything that happens in an inspected plant.
Leslie says
Agree, Kristina! People forget that Wonder Bread, vilified now, was a WONDERFUL solution to the problems you mentioned. Wonder of Wonders, it had preservatives that kept it from going bad!!
Tracy says
To be candid, I’m not fussed about the insect bits. Many countries and cultures consider this protein source as “food”. However, feces is…an issue.
Cass says
I stopped eating Hot Dogs when I saw a show about how they were made and how much mouse/rat poop was considered “ok” by the USDA. (I choose to ignore that other sausages probably have similar guidelines. I love chedder wurst. LOL)
Rosaleen says
I believe the point intended by those saying they prefer to prepare their own foods from scratch is not that their food would escape all potential contaminants, but that the home cook has more control over her food’s quality and safety. S/he can choose to throw away spoiled foods, wash food thoroughly, etc. Those of us who ferment foods (e.g., kimchi and yogurt) actually depend on naturally occuring bacteria in or on foods. Heck, yeast in our breads and some cheese typres depend on specific molds. I suspect most o us know that, but may be leery of what is “allowed” in foods.
Libby says
As a gardener the bus don’t bother me a bit! I had my family over for dinner the other night and I used kale from the garden in a salad, I the middle of the meal someone said the salad is so good, I said, the secret ingredient is aphids! Lol
The poop is another story, me and rats are not cool!
Mavis says
Well it’s a secret ingredient no one would guess!
Wynne says
It’ll be interesting to watch as science figures out more about what kinds of contamination are actually good for people to consume to balance the gut flora and/or other body systems. For example, there was a recent article about how people who spend a lot of time around cow barns are more protected against autoimmune disease. I agree about the ick factor, but what if we’re all better off for consuming some bugs and dirt? We already know some of the molds, fungi, and bacteria are beneficial. Then again, rats in the grain did spread the bubonic plague. Something to learn more about.