The Maggots in your Mushrooms

[Neecy]

Okay, this is kind of a repulsive article but it ties in with the recent spate of food safety issues.

I think I might try making my own tomato sauce from now on.

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You may be grossed out, but insects and mold in our food are not new. The F.D.A. actually condones a certain percentage of “natural contaminants” in our food supply — meaning, among other things, bugs, mold, rodent hairs and maggots.

In its (falsely) reassuringly subtitled booklet “The Food Defect Action Levels: Levels of Natural or Unavoidable Defects in Foods That Present No Health Hazards for Humans,” the F.D.A.’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition establishes acceptable levels of such “defects” for a range of foods products, from allspice to peanut butter.

Among the booklet’s list of allowable defects are “insect filth,” “rodent filth” (both hair and excreta pellets), “mold,” “insects,” “mammalian excreta,” “rot,” “insects and larvae” (which is to say, maggots), “insects and mites,” “insects and insect eggs,” “drosophila fly,” “sand and grit,” “parasites,” “mildew” and “foreign matter” (which includes “objectionable” items like “sticks, stones, burlap bagging, cigarette butts, etc.”).

...In case you’re curious: you’re probably ingesting one to two pounds of flies, maggots and mites each year without knowing it, a quantity of insects that clearly does not cut the mustard, even as insects may well be in the mustard.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/opinion/13levy.html?_r=1&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

[hedgehog]

This post needs to be linked to the posts arguing that a little dirt in

your diet prevents auto-immune diseases!

[KittyWampus]

1. As someone who grows her own veggies- stuff happens. Not excusing deplorable filth

or not regulating.

Just a reality check.

Americans are divorced from their primary food sources.

[Deja Q]

2. So those WEREN'T raisins in my raisin bran this morning

:scared:

[remoulade]

3. Great. I gave up smoking and quit drinking...now food's next on the list.

:silly:

[woodsprite]

4. My mom used to work at a mayo factory that made sandwich spread

She said that the mayo had a different 'number' of contaminents allowed than the spread did, mainly because the spread had spices and pickle relish that would mask any stray items. Her job - to take a long spoon and push the contaminents away from the glass sides of the jars of mayo.

BTW, this was years ago - like in the 40s, but till the day she died, she refused to eat mayo, sandwich spread or tartar sauce.

[hobbit709]

5. Adds protein

You know how long it would take to individually inspect EVERY grain, bean, fruit, etc.? I'm more worried about the other things in my food, like chemicals, pesticide residues and other such fun things

[Javaman]

10. My thought as well.

meh, not overly concerned.

[KittyWampus]

6. Does anyone remember the Northern Exposure where Maggie finds out about the microscopic arachnids

found in dust?

[KansDem]

7. I suppose if they were organic, it wouldn't be so bad...

But I refuse to eat genetically-modified maggots! :grr:

[4lbs]

8. As the Earth's population increases, and food availability decreases, that will eventually lead to

the consumption of insects.

Ever eat chocolate-covered fried grasshopper? Yum!

[qazplm]

9. ok is it me or does adbot have a sense of humor

advertising about a big insect fly when we are talking about insects in our foods?!

[woodsprite]

11. Took my daughter up on a dare once at Ag Day.

I ate mealworm stirfry and cricket-chip cookies. I think the biggest issue for people to overcome would be a 'texture' thing.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

12. I'm not sure that maggots would eat mushrooms.

[Mari333]

13. mushrooms like to grow on excrement on occasion

ergo the maggots
oh and
ewwwwww

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

14. I think they would stay on the crap.