Ever get that creep-crawly feeling that your food may be more than you bargained for? Well, you’re not wrong. A lot of common foods that we eat actually contain a trace amount of insects. But don’t worry, they’re legal and completely safe as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established “Food Defect Levels” which permit a certain amount of unavoidable natural defects in the food we eat. Today, we’re giving you the 11 foods with bits and pieces of insects in them.
11. Ground Spices
Yup, those spices from your rack are a bug graveyard. We’re talking about ground spices like cinnamon, oregano, and paprika with hundreds of insect fragments per gram. For instance, ground oregano contains up to 1,250 insect fragments per 10 grams. They’re unavoidable since bits of these insects get mixed in during harvesting and grinding. Don’t worry, it’s just a natural part of the food production process.
10. Chocolate
Yup, that chocolate bar isn’t just cocoa and sugar. The FDA allows an average of 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams of chocolate. These fragments are insects that live on cacao beans as they get mixed in the process. Each time you’re munching on your chocolate, there’s some protein from the insect world in it.
9. Peanut Butter
That creamy peanut butter sandwich might have an extra crunch that didn’t come from the peanut. The FDA permits an average of 30 or more insect fragments per 100 grams of peanut butter. These tiny insects live in the peanuts that were harvested and processed. Don’t worry, they were sterilized, so they pose no health risk.
8. Fig Paste
Figs attract wasps, so it’s not surprising that they end up in your Fig Newtons. The FDA allows up to 13 insect heads per 100 grams of fig paste. They can’t possibly remove all the wasps, as some fig varieties are pollinated, so they get trapped inside. The fig’s enzymes usually break down the wasp’s body, but the head can remain. Well, that’s just a natural part of a fig’s life cycle.
7. Canned Tomatoes
That pasta sauce or canned tomatoes in your pantry might contain a few ingredients you didn’t ask for. The FDA permits an average of 10 or more fly eggs per 500 grams. It could also be 5 or more fly eggs with 1 or more maggots per 500 grams. They come from fruit flies that are attracted to the sweet scent of tomatoes. Don’t worry, as the canning process sterilizes the product. Just don’t think about it.
6. Pasta
If there are some insects in your sauce, then there are also fragments hiding in the pasta as well. The FDA allows up to 225 insect fragments per 225 grams of pasta. They came from insects that infest wheat fields and storage facilities. It’s not really an appetizing thought while swirling on your spaghetti, but these tiny parts are cooked along with the pasta, and they’re harmless.
5. Coffee
That morning coffee may contain a few more buzzes that you realize. The FDA allows around 10% of green coffee beans to be infested or damaged by insects. These are beans nibbled on by insects or those that get roasted with the beans. While it sounds gross, the roasting kills the bacteria, and the fragments are barely noticeable.
4. Frozen Broccoli
Every broccoli you consume has an extra protein in it. Yes, even the frozen variety has some! The FDA allows an average of 60 or more aphids, thrips, or mites in 100 grams of frozen broccoli. These tiny insects are impossible to find since they hide in the florets of broccoli and are difficult to wash out. That’s growing vegetables for you.
3. Berries
Yup, both canned and frozen have them. The FDA permits an average of 4 or more larvae per 500 grams of canned or frozen berries. These larvae came from small insects that infest the berry patches. While they’re washed and processed, some of the tiny larvae can still push their way through. But like everything on this list, they’re harmless.
2. Canned Fruit Juice
That canned fruit juice has a few tiny swimmers that you don’t want to know about. Well, the FDA allows 5 or more fruit fly eggs per 250 ml of canned fruit juices. These eggs are the fruit flies that linger around the fruit for its sweet scent. Don’t worry, the juice underwent pasteurization, which already killed harmful bacteria.
1. Candy Glaze
That shiny coating on your candy is something you’d rather not know. It’s called shellac or confectioner’s glaze, which is a resin from the secretions of a female lac bug. They’re used to give a protective and glossy finish in many candies, pills, and even fruits. Don’t worry, it’s a natural and safe product.