Is Your Food Bugged?
Bugs in your peanut butter and orange juice are a common occurrence, but who woulda thunk it?
If you have a vegetable garden you will expect to find ear wigs, worms, and bugs in your harvest. You make sure your food is properly washed and double check for any insects that might have been overlooked. It’s easy to be sure you get the bugs out before you serve your family but, it isn’t as easy for large scale commercially harvested food. It would be impossible to check every vegetable, grain silo, corn crib, and flour mill world wide to avoid such contaminants so the FDA has set guidelines for how much foreign matter…more precisely bugs, larvae, eggs, and rodent hair can be safely allowed in our food. It is estimated that each of us eats an average of one pound of insects every year.
Some insects are purposely used in food like the Cochineal bug. Cochineal bugs are small, scaly bugs used to make red and pink coloring for our food and beverages. Colouring from Cochineal bugs is listed on the ingredient list of food packaging as cochineal extract.
Male and Female Cochineal Bugs
Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons
Food grade shellac used to give candy its shine is secreted from the Kerria lacca or Lac bug. Its deep red secretion is harvested from trees in India, Thailand, China, and Mexico. The bug secretes the resin on tree twigs where it is harvested by breaking off the laden branches and melting the resin from them.
Kerria Lacca Bug
Courtesy of Wikipedia commons
Other ingredients that you won’t find listed on packaging ingredient lists are; bug wings, fly heads, bug larvae, insect eggs, rat hair, maggots, and worms.
Peanut Butter
Courtesy of Flicker commons
One pound of peanut butter can contain rodent hair and up to 60 pieces of bug parts. While rodent hair is easily found in peanut butter, roach parts are not because they are pulverized with the peanuts. (Who counts the bug pieces?)
Chocolate
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Chocoholics love their chocolate but did you know that one chocolate bar can contain up to 80 bug pieces and other debris and still be safe to eat? (Could it be that you are actually addicted to bugs and NOT the chocolate?)
Pasta
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Pasta contains around 225 insect parts per 225 grams of pasta. (Italian anyone?)
Orange Juice
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Two hundred and fifty milliliters of orange juice can contain either one maggot or five fly eggs. (Do we have a choice?)
Sauce
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Pizza and pasta sauce is allowed either 30 bug eggs or 2 maggots per 100g. (Free toppings!)
Flour
Courtesy of Flicker commons
Wheat flour has up to 75 bug parts per 50g. (Bah… Bug Buns!)
Mushrooms
Courtesy of Flicker commons
Canned mushrooms have up to 20 maggots per 100g. (Is this a new canned food? Mushroom with Maggots)
Meal Worms
Courtesy of Wikipedia commons
In some countries meal worm is a common additive in meat and meat products. Meal worms are a larval stage flour beetle or Darkling beetle that lives in the wild wherever flour and grains are stored. The Yellow meal worm or Tenebrio molitor are easily raised and well suited to home farming. As long as you keep their containers clean and in a dim, well ventilated area, regulate their heat, and feed them you will always have fresh food whenever guests drop by. The kitchen is an excellent farming area ensuring easy access to fresh worms anytime.
Bonus: Easy, Company’s Coming Meal Worm Appetizers
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
- 1/3 cup fresh meal worm larvae
Method
- Melt butter or margarine in skillet.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Sauté until golden brown.
This recipe can be served as is or added to a heated store bought snack mix such as Party Mix, Trail Mix, or Bridge Mix.
Bon Appetit!
Liked it
lanne | Apr 25, 2008 | Reply
Very interesting article,but I hope you don`t make this recipe next time I am over to visit. I think that it would really “bug” my stomach…lol
Ruby hawk | Apr 25, 2008 | Reply
Maybe we ae addicted to the bugs rather than the chocolate, well, just a little more protein is good for us.
Dee Huff | Apr 25, 2008 | Reply
I shall treasure that recipe!
Ruth Hendricks | Apr 25, 2008 | Reply
I think you’ve just hit on the newest diet fad – read your article again when tempted to eat. The feeling of hunger will soon pass….
nobert soloria bermosa | Apr 25, 2008 | Reply
ohh, this is such an interesting article, i enjoyed reading it,
thanks Darlene for the read
IcyCucky | Apr 25, 2008 | Reply
Really interesting article…I have to stop eating for a while..lol
Judy Sheldon | Apr 25, 2008 | Reply
My husband just took me out to eat at Ponderosa. Some how the food does not seem as appetizing now. Very interesting well written article
valli | Apr 25, 2008 | Reply
I didn’t know this. It is surprising.
Liane Schmidt | Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
I couldn’t finish reading – not for lack of talent, but – my imagination is far too vivid – -
Great job on another unique article.
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
-Liane Schmidt.
Jan Kenney | Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
I don’t think I will eat again!!! I knew about the hot dogs and how they were made, but never thought about this stuff! I also knew about the bugs you eat when you sleep but this is just to much protien for me! Great article.
Darlene McFarlane | Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
lanne, I promise I will stick to traditional recipes…this one grosses me out too.
Ruby, the doctor says Fibromyalgia patients should eat more protein but you can bet I won’t be getting it this way.
Dee, I am humbled by your appreciation…teehee
Ruth, I agree with you. I think I lost a pound or two when I was researching this one.
nobert, thanks. I am glad you liked it. It’s very possible you are the only one who truly enjoyed it.
IcyCucky, I think of this article every time I go to eat. Maybe I have found a way to lose those few unwanted pounds after all.
Judy, my husband took me out last night for supper as well. I had a really hard time trying to think of something that couldn’t be harbouring bug bits.
vallie, I heard about this once a long time ago and never paid too much attention to it…I am kinda wishing I didn’t pay too much attention this time as well.
Liane, Thanks for stopping by and attempting to read. I appreciate your effort.
Jan, I heard about the bugs we eat while we sleep too. They say that one person will eat 8 spiders in their lifetime and not know it. I must go and eat breakfast now…or not.
LB | Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
That is just GROSSSSS!!! Maybe those reality shows aren’t so far fetched after all.
Lucy Lockett | Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
Even though I wash and wash the vegies from the garden, sometimes a small bug is left over in the pot after cooking! Much better not to thing about those things.
Darlene McFarlane | Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
LB, I agree…gross. I was thinking the same thing about the reality shows. They wouldn’t expect you to eat anything that isn’t edible or eaten somewhere in the world. It’s just that WE are not used to it.
Lucy, It is very hard to be sure each little bug is removed so we can see why it is impossible in the food industry. I agree with you, it’s better not to think about it…if only I could forget…
Francie | Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
Oh Yuk! I don’t mind what I can see and remove but the stuff you speak of like rodent hairs and all that is unseen is unfortunately all too true.
Dave | Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
I just ate about 80% of a candy bar and then saw some larvae on what was remaining. Closer look revealed worms in the several bites remaining and more larvae. Watch out for Hershey Reeses Crunch bars!
Alexa Gates | Apr 27, 2008 | Reply
this is kind of gross.. i think the FDA should up their standards, don’t you?
Anne Lyken-Garner | Apr 27, 2008 | Reply
Oh Darlene, Darlene, why’d you have to go and do that? Take it away please. Now I don’t want to eat anything.
Fascinating article.
Nick Kenney | Apr 27, 2008 | Reply
OMG!! I’d stay and complain but I have to run to the bathroom to get sick just now…
drAnn | May 6, 2008 | Reply
Omg, is that how you keep people from dropping in unannounced? There was a cockroach cooked right into the dorm food one time back when I was in college and I STILL cannot eat scalloped corn, even though it used to be one of my favorite things. Wonderful article. Your publications just keep getting better and better!
Nick Kenney | May 6, 2008 | Reply
….I just wanted you to know…that now whenever I eat chocolate I wonder how many fly heads and cockroach legs are in it…Jan warned me not to read this one!! lol
But I still love ya!!
Joe50342 | Jun 9, 2008 | Reply
Interesting article, I love chocolate! or do i? heh heh. i knew about the coloring bugs but nothing else. I think I’m going to be sick!
beauley, Lucien | Aug 22, 2008 | Reply
Thanks Darlene. I guess I quit the OJ for breakfast. A very informative article, realizing that the food industry cannot fully guard against it.
Lucas Dié | Nov 13, 2008 | Reply
Oh thanks for that article. But now I’m hungry … wonder which kind of bugs I should go for?
Bonnie T | May 27, 2009 | Reply
eeewwwww!
I should have added a link to this article in the one I wrote for weight loss tips – with a note to post on the fridge as a snacking deterrent!
Umm, protein is good…not quite the way I want to get it though!