An estimated 10 percent of veggie hot dogs actually contain meat,
according to a recent study published by Clear Food that also reportedly found traces of human DNA in some samples.
This study, which examined 345 samples from 75 different brands across 10 retailers, found two major problems within hot dog production and consumption. Scientific research and testing conducting within the experiment found evidence of substitutions, unexpected ingredients, and traces of meat in the products that were not listed on the labels. In addition, the Clear Food study found disturbing traces of human DNA in 2 percent of the hot dog samples. Of those contaminated samples, two-thirds of them came from veggie hot dog brands.
The Clear Food study discovered traces of chicken, beef, turkey, and lamb in the vegetarian hot dog samples. Pork as a surprise ingredient was an especially unpleasant discovery because significant numbers of religious observers do not eat pork due to their convictions. Three percent of the tested hot dog samples found pork substitutes that were not supposed to be present.
For concerned vegetarians, the study recommended that those consumers purchase the
Trader Joe’s brand of veggie hot dogs, according to Eater. For those consumers who are wary of accidentally eating pork products, the researchers recommended that they purchase Oscar Mayer, Ball Park, or Hebrew National beef franks. Although the study did not specifically list which brands to avoid, popular brands Nathan’s and Vienna Beef were conspicuously absent from the sanctioned list.
The research results also did not specifically call out which brands carried the meat contaminated with human DNA, and it was not clear what the source was either,
according to the Daily Mail. Possibilities could include fragments picked up from hair, fingernails, spit, or blood, although the report did not specify.
All in all, 14.4 percent of the hot dogs tested in the Clear Food study were found to be problematic.
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