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30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning

“You don’t want to know how the sausage is made.” The old adage is true. Trust us. Some facts about food are best left moldering in the dark, humid corner behind your kitchen cabinet. So don’t read on, dear Pandas. Don’t-- oh well. It looks like we’re not going to be able to stop you curious Pandas from checking out the true-but-disgusting food facts that the Bored Panda team has collected. They’re perfect for the spookfest that is October, just not great for your stomach.

Go on, then, scroll on down. Just remember to upvote your fave yucky and icky facts and share any other ones that you know in the comment section below. But please, promise us one thing—make sure you’re not snacking on anything as you’re reading this post!

How many bugs can legally be in your food? What’s the name of the cheese that you should steer clear of if you’re not a fan of chomping on live insects? Why is my appetite suddenly gone? The answers to these and other questions are below.

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30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning Worked at Subway 2010-12. Only thing I have to say is that tuna and seafood packaged used to have a label on it that said that it didn't contain dolphin or turtles in the meat, then that label suddenly disappeared in 2012.

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30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning I used to work in a baseball park concession stand. The short answer is not to order anything, but if you absolutely have to buy something, don't buy the hotdogs.

Do not. Buy. The hot dogs.

They made it out of the package okay, and might even have been edible after we finished grilling them - and then they went into the water. We kept three pans of water at the back of the grill, that held the hot dogs. Any hot dogs left at the end of the day went back into the fridge, and came out again the next day. Me and the other cook put our feet down on throwing out the water and old hot dogs after two full days, but the management didn't want to let us.

Oh, and our freezer broke so all the meat got stored in the ice bin. And our management always told us when the surprise health inspections were gonna show up, usually a week or so in advance.

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30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning Salami isnt cooked. It is technically a raw product. In its production good bacteria is added that decreased* the ph to a point that harmful bacteria such as e. coli and listeria can't survive, which then make it safe to eat. Not to mention the cool fungus that grows on the casing to protect it from dying out too much. Very neat. (Meat Science major, we make Salami and other meat products on campus in a dinky meat lab)

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"It is economically impractical to grow, harvest, or process raw products that are totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring, unavoidable defects," explains the United States Food and Drug Administration (aka the FDA).

Translated from corporate-speak, this means that it’s not possible for food products to be completely free from bits of bugs, mold, animal hair, and other parts of the Great Outdoors. Sure, it might sound yucky, but we don’t even notice these ‘food defects’ the vast majority of the time and we’ve been swallowing them our entire lives.

However, nobody wants to be chomping down on chocolate bars that are entirely made up of insects. So the FDA has guidelines to keep icky bits of Mother Nature out of your snacks. For instance, CNN reports that the FDA allows an average of 10 milligrams of animal poop per pound of coffee. What’s more, 4 to 6% of the coffee beans are allowed to be moldy or infested by insects.

30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning There is always cow feces in all milk. Cows' assholes are right above the udder. Udders are cleaned before attaching the milking machines, but sh** happens all day long while cows are getting milked. Once you see a milking operation, you'll be REALLY glad to know that they literally pasteurize the shit out of that milk.

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30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning One of the most expensive forms of coffee is Kopi Luwak which is coffee beans that have been eaten by a Asian Palm Civet and pooped out and can run up to $700 a kilo.

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30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning You should not feed honey to children under one years old because it contains spores of a bacterium that will produce the possibly deadliest poison known to mankind

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69points

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Meanwhile, peanut butter and jelly sandwich lovers should look away from this paragraph. FDA standards permit an average of one or more rodent hairs and around 30 insect fragments for every 100 grams of peanut butter. Jelly and jam aren’t controlled, unfortunately. So something like apple butter can contain an average of 4+ rodent hairs for every 100 grams and around 5 whole insects. That’s in addition to the aphids and mites.

Finally, let’s ruin raisins for you, dear Readers. Do you know those iconic kid-sized boxes? They’ve got around 4 fruit fly eggs and a whole insect in each box. We hope that we haven’t ruined your appetite forever, dear Pandas!

30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning Casu marzu. There exists a cheese that contains live maggot larvae on purpose.

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30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning The roe and milt of certain fish is a common delicacy across the world, including sturgeon roe, otherwise known as caviar.
While roe is widely known to be fish eggs, it's not so well known that milt is fish sperm.

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30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning Grocery stores will sometimes mix in food colouring in with near expiration date meat to make it look fresh

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#10

30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning Usually because no restaurant ever has cleaned out the ice machine. It also depends on what they use to scoop the ice out of the machines. If you got people with dirty hands with a scoop scooping out ice you can imagine all the nasty particles that rub off on the ice etc. Do that 4-5 times a day and you see the potential for nasty to accumulate.

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#11

30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning They use shellac to make some different foods and candies more shiny. Shellac is an excretion from the lac beetle.

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#12

30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning Canned pineapple can pack in up to 20% moldy fruit.

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#13

30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning In the United States companies can legally sell curry powder that contains less than 100 insect fragments per 25 grams

Hops with less than 2500 aphids per 10 grams and coffee as long as less than 10% of beans are moldy.

Even with modern technology, all defects in goods cannot be eliminated. As a result, the Food and Drug Administration has set allowable defect or "tolerance levels."

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#14

30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning Some raspberry flavorings come from beaver anal glands.

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#15

30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning Shrimps diet consists mainly of poop. If you've ever eaten shrimp, you've eaten poop from potentially thousands of different animals including humans.

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#16

30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning Every time you eat fresh produce, you're taking the risk that no one who touched it also didn't poop in their hands. So, wash everything and enjoy your salad.

Prepackaged salads are an excellent source of bacteria. The salad gets washed once, then is sold to you.

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35points

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See Also on Bored Panda

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

#29

30 Facts About Food People Regret Learning Cinnamon can carry up to 1 milligram of animal excrement per pound.

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#30

Up to 10 percent of canned asparagus can harbor asparagus beetles or egg sacs.

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Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

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Denis is a photo editor at Bored Panda. After getting his bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design, he tried to succeed in digital design, advertising, and branding. Also, Denis really enjoys sports and loves everything related to board sports and water.

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What do you think ?

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Daria B 4 years ago

Meh, it was mostly about poop and insects. I expected more variety.

43points

Monday 4 years ago

Same...I was hoping for some surprisingly gross stuff not "OMG insect parts!".

20points

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Wouter Berg 4 years ago

I have not often seen so much BS in one post. Give me break.

20points

no_name 4 years ago

Eating small amounts of contamination in our food is good for our immune system, it makes us stronger. You just can't, like, eat completely moldy ananas, that doesn't make you any good. You never pluck an apple or peach straight from a tree and eat it without washing? I can't remember how many times I have eaten any kinds of fruit in the woods or in the garden. With livestock it's slightly different, there are higher risks but too much worry only makes you paranoid.

16points

F. H. 4 years ago

Exactly that. If you grow food in your garden, it will have a ton of natural contamination, much more than store-bought food is allowed to have. You'll have dirt and beetles in your salad all the time if you don't take care.

12points

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Steffen Beth 4 years ago

This got to one of the dumbest lists I have seen in a long time, most items are just wrong, or whatever amount is so small that it does not matter....

4points

footedevin 4 years ago

Steffen Beth follower

0points

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Jolee Koop 4 years ago

This felt like it was only about how much poop is allowed (not guaranteed) in your food. Good annoying after the first 5 talking about it.

4points

SirPatTheCat 4 years ago

Eh extra protein you know. As long as there isn’t like a 3 inch cockroach or an entire dog turd who cares...

2points

𝓴𝓪𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓲_𝓐𝓾𝓭𝓻𝓮𝔂 💖 4 years ago

lol

0points

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OCDRobot 4 years ago

So many entries about bugs. If you freak out about a few bug legs in a candy bar, you must die at the thought that a huge portion of the world eat whole insects as part of their diet.

2points

tangy chip 4 years ago

So basically all of the foods on this list are NOT vegan

2points

Scyth 4 years ago

Most of these contaminations won't hurt our bodies, like insect fragments and even fecal traces. In some cases it might even be healthier, so it's better to simply not think about it when eating.

2points

Sarah 4 years ago

Also, back in the olden days(I forgot when) a guy got a job at a meat factory and wrote a book about his experiences. Apparently, careless workers can get parts of their body chopped off and blended in with the meat, and mice run around it the tube that they use to make sausages, so you could potentially be eating human and mouse poop. This is why I don't eat hot dogs.

1point

andate him 4 years ago

This is why you eat kosher food. They have strict rules about eating insects insect, and the food is generally much cleaner

1point

BusLady 4 years ago

Starting my new diet today. I should lose lots of weight.

1point

Gonzalo Terán 4 years ago

Yummy! What doesn´t kill you, makes you stronger... Ignorance is bliss I guess...

1point

Kristin Ingersoll 4 years ago

So... There's a lot of bugs in food. Shocker. This was so stupid, my brain hurts.

1point

Emilingo 4 years ago

well this is one way to lose weight.

1point

Malakai 4 years ago

Some things like the hot dogs and the ice machine, yeah, you should take care to avoid because those are some real health concerns or just plain nasty. The rest though? Even if all of it were true then the only way to avoid it would be to mever eat anything. Ever. Except the maggot cheese and literal poop coffee. That's just disgusting.

1point

Samara L. 4 years ago

I'm fine eating bugs because the rest of the food makes me not be able to taste the bugs. Plus, I enjoy crickets and mealworms with flavoring, so... Not bothered by this post at all lol

1point

Kel Gal 4 years ago

Well, I used to eat play-doh when I was a kid, so I think I’ll survive a few bugs and some poop.

1point

F. H. 4 years ago

Isn't play-doh just starch putty with a ton of salt and food colouring? That's why it can grow mold.

1point

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Joybug 2 years ago

I knew most of this beforehand. If this bothers you, I would recommend you never read my mind.

0points

Sent From The Slytherin House 4 years ago

It was all about insects and poop. I liked it, but I was expecting a bit more out of it.

0points

Kusotare 4 years ago

Insect parts? More protein. Fecal matter? Well, a good evening includes licking Mrs. kusotare's asshole, so, I mean...WTH.

0points

Sasy 4 years ago

When tomatoes travel on conveyor belts to make Tomatoe Sauce/Ketchup, the ones that fall off are shoveled up off the floor and thrown back in...was told that as a kid by a friend that worked for Rosella. Still do not care, have dropped plenty of tomatoes on the floor in my lifetime, did three yesterday alone.

0points

Abigail Kreiss 4 years ago

These mentioned the highest allowable levels. Most marketed foods in the U.S.will be of a higher quality.

0points

Viv Hart 4 years ago

How many times have I broken an apricot open, to ensure that there was no larva inside? All part of life, as long as you wash your fruit. Meat is a different matter.

0points

Roger Haywood 4 years ago

Most of that was complete bollocks.

0points

Astrid Nineor 4 years ago

Shocking news: there are other life-forms than us on this planet

0points

frecklebuddy 4 years ago

Astrid Nineor yes

0points

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Gwen 4 years ago

Let's just all agree that this post enlightened everyone to the fact that regardless of what we are eating, we are getting some extra protein in one form or another.

0points

𝓴𝓪𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓲_𝓐𝓾𝓭𝓻𝓮𝔂 💖 4 years ago

Why don't I care about any of these? I'm gross lol.

0points

TheWitchNaru 4 years ago

Cannot. Eat. Food.

0points

M Dream 4 years ago

You can do better than that Bored Panda...

0points

Davor Jelacic 4 years ago

Downvoteeeeeeeeeee

0points

shula 4 years ago

Davor Jelacic like

0points

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jk nbt 4 years ago

throwing up now

0points

B-b-bird 4 years ago

We need to eat something anyway... for peets sake :) everything is organic... we are organic at the end...

0points

beeneed 4 years ago

B-b-bird good

0points

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Rose the Cook 4 years ago

The only surprise here is the bug and poop content that American authorities allow in food.

0points

Flisey 4 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

qwerty 4 years ago

Ummm... you do realize that most of these foods can be considered vegetarian, right?

3points

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Daria B 4 years ago

Meh, it was mostly about poop and insects. I expected more variety.

43points

Monday 4 years ago

Same...I was hoping for some surprisingly gross stuff not "OMG insect parts!".

20points

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Wouter Berg 4 years ago

I have not often seen so much BS in one post. Give me break.

20points

no_name 4 years ago

16points

F. H. 4 years ago

12points

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Steffen Beth 4 years ago

This got to one of the dumbest lists I have seen in a long time, most items are just wrong, or whatever amount is so small that it does not matter....

4points

footedevin 4 years ago

Steffen Beth follower

0points

Load More Replies...

Jolee Koop 4 years ago

This felt like it was only about how much poop is allowed (not guaranteed) in your food. Good annoying after the first 5 talking about it.

4points

SirPatTheCat 4 years ago

Eh extra protein you know. As long as there isn’t like a 3 inch cockroach or an entire dog turd who cares...

2points

𝓴𝓪𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓲_𝓐𝓾𝓭𝓻𝓮𝔂 💖 4 years ago

lol

0points

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OCDRobot 4 years ago

So many entries about bugs. If you freak out about a few bug legs in a candy bar, you must die at the thought that a huge portion of the world eat whole insects as part of their diet.

2points

tangy chip 4 years ago

So basically all of the foods on this list are NOT vegan

2points

Scyth 4 years ago

Most of these contaminations won't hurt our bodies, like insect fragments and even fecal traces. In some cases it might even be healthier, so it's better to simply not think about it when eating.

2points

Sarah 4 years ago

1point

andate him 4 years ago

This is why you eat kosher food. They have strict rules about eating insects insect, and the food is generally much cleaner

1point

BusLady 4 years ago

Starting my new diet today. I should lose lots of weight.

1point

Gonzalo Terán 4 years ago

Yummy! What doesn´t kill you, makes you stronger... Ignorance is bliss I guess...

1point

Kristin Ingersoll 4 years ago

So... There's a lot of bugs in food. Shocker. This was so stupid, my brain hurts.

1point

Emilingo 4 years ago

well this is one way to lose weight.

1point

Malakai 4 years ago

1point

Samara L. 4 years ago

I'm fine eating bugs because the rest of the food makes me not be able to taste the bugs. Plus, I enjoy crickets and mealworms with flavoring, so... Not bothered by this post at all lol

1point

Kel Gal 4 years ago

Well, I used to eat play-doh when I was a kid, so I think I’ll survive a few bugs and some poop.

1point

F. H. 4 years ago

Isn't play-doh just starch putty with a ton of salt and food colouring? That's why it can grow mold.

1point

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Joybug 2 years ago

I knew most of this beforehand. If this bothers you, I would recommend you never read my mind.

0points

Sent From The Slytherin House 4 years ago

It was all about insects and poop. I liked it, but I was expecting a bit more out of it.

0points

Kusotare 4 years ago

Insect parts? More protein. Fecal matter? Well, a good evening includes licking Mrs. kusotare's asshole, so, I mean...WTH.

0points

Sasy 4 years ago

0points

Abigail Kreiss 4 years ago

These mentioned the highest allowable levels. Most marketed foods in the U.S.will be of a higher quality.

0points

Viv Hart 4 years ago

How many times have I broken an apricot open, to ensure that there was no larva inside? All part of life, as long as you wash your fruit. Meat is a different matter.

0points

Roger Haywood 4 years ago

Most of that was complete bollocks.

0points

Astrid Nineor 4 years ago

Shocking news: there are other life-forms than us on this planet

0points

frecklebuddy 4 years ago

Astrid Nineor yes

0points

Load More Replies...

Gwen 4 years ago

Let's just all agree that this post enlightened everyone to the fact that regardless of what we are eating, we are getting some extra protein in one form or another.

0points