The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Upon ordering a burger in a fast food chain, diners might have already come to terms with the fact there is a very slim chance of horse meat lurking under that tomato.
But the additions of rat and human DNA could be harder to swallow.
A new study from US-based food testing company Clear Labs has discovered, from a sample of 258 burgers, two cases of meat in vegetarian products, three burgers with rat DNA and one case of human DNA.
“The most likely cause is hair, skin, or fingernail that was accidentally mixed in during the manufacturing process,” it read, referring to the human DNA.
“What many consumers don't know is that some amounts of human and rat DNA may fall within an acceptable regulatory range,” the report added.
It also found that there are “gaps” in food safety and quality standards, but overall the beef industry has “benefited from stringent regulation and aggressive testing requirements”.
Of larger concern than the “unpleasant” DNA findings was that almost a quarter of vegetarian burgers have different ingredients to those on the label. Two veggie burgers contained beef, and one black bean burger contained no black beans.
Poisoning Risk: The public perception of food safety
Show all 8
Although Americans are unlikely to mix up their bison from their ground lamb patties on the barbecue, it seems the burger industry is making that mistake. Around 6 per cent of the burgers substituted one product for another. A common finding was that, for meat burgers, chicken or turkey was unexpectedly added in.
Another problem is that 4.3 per cent of burgers contained pathogenic DNA, which can cause food outbreaks and food poisoning.
Certain pathogens found in the products can cause tuberculosis-like symptoms, gastroenteritis, foodborne illness and E. coli.
Pathogens in four vegetarian burgers, considered a low risk category for food poisoning, was “troubling”, the report said.
Mixed-up meats, possible illness and rats aside, for those watching their weight, it is worth noting that 12 burgers in the study contained at least 100 more calories than on the label.
FAQs
Of the samples, three tested positive for rat DNA, one had human DNA in there, and 13% of the meat products were found to be in some way problematic (4.3% of samples contained pathogenic DNA, for instance). Of the vegetarian samples, 23% were found to be problematic with two samples containing traces of beef.
Was human and rat DNA found in burgers according to lab report? ›
Of the 258 sample size, Clear Labs says human DNA was found in one vegetarian burger and rat DNA was found in a fast food burger, a vegetarian burger and a ground meat sample. While unpleasant, it's important to note that it is unlikely that human DNA or rat DNA is harmful to consumer health.
What food has human DNA been found in? ›
US - A new study has found the presence of human DNA and other meats not mentioned on the label in some US pork, chicken, turkey, beef and vegetarian hot dogs and sausages. Clear Food, part of Clear Labs, analysed 345 individual hot dogs and sausages from seventy-five different brands sold at ten food retailers.
Why is there human DNA in hot dogs? ›
Human DNA found in the hot dogs was classified as a hygienic issue because human hair or skin dander likely got into the product during the manufacturing process, TruthOrFiction.com said the study reported.
Is there human DNA in our food supply? ›
All commercially produced food contains tiny amounts of human DNA,because it is impossible to completely prevent occasional hairs and human dander (skin flakes) from entering the food supply.
How close is rat DNA to human DNA? ›
Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes while rats have 21, and there are approximately 280 large regions of similarity in the chromosomes of humans and rats. The threadlike structure of the nucleic acids contains information for composition in the form of genes.
Do burgers have DNA? ›
There was pork DNA in one sample of beef patties. In two vegetarian burgers, there were trace amounts of beef DNA. More offensively, Clear Labs found pork DNA in one sample of beef patties and one sample of ground beef.
What happened when human DNA was put into a mouse? ›
Researchers have increased the size of mouse brains by giving the rodents a piece of human DNA that controls gene activity. The work provides some of the strongest genetic evidence yet for how the human intellect surpassed those of all other apes.
Are chimpanzees 99% of their DNA with humans and mice are 98% genetically similar to humans? ›
Fact: There are many similarities between humans and animals. For example, chimpanzees share more that 99% of DNA with humans, and mice share more than 98%! Animals are susceptible to many of the same health problems as humans – cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, to name a few.
Do 2 of hotdogs have human DNA? ›
Clear Food, an independent company that analyzes food at the molecular level, found that 14.4 percent of the hot dogs it tested were "problematic." Clear Food reported that it found human DNA in six of the 345 samples, or 2 percent of all samples tested.
Butterball, McCormick, Eckrich and Hebrew National were among the major brands that received top scores from Clear Foods. Gardein was the top specialty or regional brand.
Where is most human DNA found? ›
Most of our total genome is made of up nuclear DNA, or the genetic material located in the nucleus of a cell. This DNA forms chromosomes, X-shaped bundles of DNA, that separate during cell division. hom*o sapiens have 23 pairs of chromosomes.
Is human DNA found in vegan meat? ›
The study, by food testing company Clear Labs found three burgers with rat DNA and one with traces of human. 'The most likely cause is hair, skin, or fingernail that was accidentally mixed in during the manufacturing process,' read the study, referring to the human DNA result.
Do humans and pigs share DNA? ›
Comparison of the full DNA sequences of different mammals shows that we are more closely related to mice than we are to pigs. We last shared a common ancestor with pigs about 80 million years ago, compared to about 70 million years ago when we diverged from rodents.
Do hot dogs exist? ›
A hot dog is a dish consisting of a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener (Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter (Frankfurter Würstchen, also just called frank).
Is rat DNA similar to human DNA? ›
Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, while rats have 21 and mice have 20. However, the new analysis found chromosomes from all three organisms to be related to each other by about 280 large regions of sequence similarity - called "syntenic blocks" - distributed in varying patterns across the organisms' chromosomes.
What animal has human DNA? ›
Examples of human–animal hybrids mainly include humanized mice that have been genetically modified by xenotransplantation of human genes. Humanized mice are commonly used as small animal models in biological and medical research for human therapeutics.
Do any animals have human DNA? ›
In equivalent areas of the genome, we are 98.8% genetically similar to chimpanzees, 75% genetically similar to chickens, and even 60% genetically similar to banana trees! Humans share large portions of our genome with other organisms due to similar basic functions across the animal kingdom.
