The Shocking and Disgusting Things That are Hiding in Your Meat and Processed Foods

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4. Rodent Hair

You are probably already aware that keeping rodents out of any facility that makes or stores food is next to impossible. Even some 5 star restaurants have been found to have mice or rats. Making food at an industrial facility is no different. Even the FDA realizes this and they allow for rodent hair in various products. You are probably saying, no they don’t, but, oh yes, they do! The FDA calls it “unavoidable defects.” That’s why they allow one rodent hair in every 100g of chocolate, 5 rodent hairs in every 18oz jar of peanut butter and 22 rodent hairs in every 100g of cinnamon. It appears rodents really like cinnamon. If you found rat or mice hair in your food at home, you would ditch it, wouldn’t you? Since the FDA thinks it’s OK for us to eat rodent hair, perhaps we are better off cooking at home using as many raw, organic ingredients as possible.

5. Coal Tar

All processed foods have long lists of ingredients including dyes, sometimes called artificial colors, and almost all of those dyes come from coal tar. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like, tar that is derived from coal. One dye called Yellow #5 (sometimes listed as tartrazine) has been linked in studies, one as recently as 2007, to hyperactivity in children. The European Union says that these dyes must come with warning labels, but in America, however, there are no such regulations. Reconsider using any processed food product, especially those with artificial colors.

6. Nitrates and Nitrites

These are toxic chemicals that are used to prevent the bacterial growth in meat and make them appear pink in color so the consumer will believe they are “fresher.” These are often used in processed meats such as bacon and hot dogs. Nitrates and nitrites have been linked in numerous studies to an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. Read more why you should switch to grass fed meat.

7. Arsenic

Traces of arsenic in food aren’t really anything new, but this carcinogen has been turning up in just about everything lately, from rice to juice to baby cereal. German researchers have recently found traces of it in beer and noted that some beers had levels that were twice as high as what is allowed in drinking water. Believe it or not, arsenic is found in many drinks, especially beer and wine, which are super clear in color. This is because no one wants to drink a cloudy looking chardonnay, so manufacturers filter these drinks through diatomaceous earth.DE is a natural compound, but it does contain iron, metals, oh yes, and arsenic. Want to drink less arsenic? Look for drinks that say they are unfiltered.

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