Meat used in some veggie dogs, human DNA found in some hot dogs

Meat used in some veggie dogs, human DNA found in some hot dogs

DNA analysis uncovers problem ingredients in more than 14% of hot dog products tested.

Even vegetarians occasionally want the taste of meat, and vegetarian hot dogs are a popular meat substitute. But strict vegetarians should know that a new study found meat in some “meatless” dogs.

In addition, the study found unlisted, problematic ingredients in more than fourteen percent of the hot dog and sausages tested, according to CNN. For example, pork was found in some products that were not marketed as containing pork, which could be disturbing to those who avoid pork for religious reasons.

The study was conducted by the analytics startup Clear Labs, which uses cutting-edge genomic analysis and other food testing processes to detect food contamination, GMOs, antibiotics or other food issues. The company is currently running a Kickstarter effort that hopes to raise $100,000 to enable the company to do more consumer focused testing and education.

In two percent of the hot dogs tested, and in two-thirds of the veggie dogs, human DNA was detected. But one food safety expert cautioned that DNA testing can be quite sensitive, meaning that very tiny amounts of human DNA may be found but pose no meaningful problem.

While the test results sound distasteful, several national hot dog brands scored high for safety, including Butterball, McCormick, Eckrich and Hebrew National.

Be social, please share!

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail