Human, Rat DNA in Burgers Is Just One Part of Shocking New Study

Human and rat DNA were reportedly found in a small sample of burgers tested by a California firm that specialized in food supply indexing.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Clear Labs, which employs software engineers and genomic scientists, tested 258 samples of ground meat, frozen patties, fast food burgers, and veggie burgers from 79 brands and 22 retailers.

The study discovered that 13.6 percent of the samples were not entirely what they claimed to be. For example, researchers found pork substituted in some ground beef products, which would be problematic for those with religious eating restrictions like Jewish people and Muslims.

"Using next-generation genomic sequencing and other third party tests, we screen for authenticity, major, medium, and minor substitution, contamination, gluten, toxigenic fungi and toxic plants, other allergens, and missing ingredients," the study stated.

"We also examine products for nutrition content accuracy, such as calories, carbs, fat, and protein. All of our tests are run through a secondary analysis pipeline and scrubbed for statistical accuracy and error," the study continued.

The study stated that rat DNA was found in three of the 258 samples and human DNA was found in one sample.

In two cases, meat was found in burgers listed as vegetarian. The study discovered that 4.3 percent of products researched contained pathogenic DNA.

The study suggested that the human DNA likely came from hair, skin, or a fingernail that was accidentally mixed in during the manufacturing process. Clear Labs added that it believed the amounts detected "most likely fell within the acceptable regulatory range as we understand them."

In another incident, one burger listed as a "black bean" burger had no traces of black beans in them, according to the study.

"While the burgers tested probably wouldn't harm anybody, they might dupe consumers," wrote Vox.com. "Clear Labs found numerous cases of misleading product labeling and food fraud. In the burgers the researchers looked at, there were gaps between reported nutritional information and actual nutritional content. Nearly half of the products tested had more calories than was reported on their labels — usually amounting to about 40 more calories per serving."

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