When it comes to producing food, it’s understandable that some unwanted additions are to be expected, even though we don’t like to think about it. The minimum amount of defects allowed in food by the FDA might surprise you. The FDA uses the term “defect” to describe the minimum amount of rodent and other animal feces, maggots, insect fragments, animal and human hair, parasitic cysts, and rot that’s allowed in our food. For example, foods like canned fruit, cornmeal, and chocolate are allowed whole insects, insect parts, and insect larvae. Most fruit are allowed to have bugs in them, as long as they don’t cause the fruit to rot, and tomato products like pizza sauce are allowed to contain up to 30 fruit fly eggs per 100 grams. Frozen broccoli is permitted to contain 60 aphids and/or mites per 100 grams, while mushrooms are allow 20 maggots per 100 grams of drained mushrooms or 15 grams of dried mushrooms. Spices like cinnamon are permitted to contain 400 insect fragments per 50 grams. So, the next time you get ready to chow down on a mushroom pizza, followed by a cinnamon roll, just don’t think about what you read here.
