There Might Be Human DNA in Your Hot Dog

October is National Sausage Month, and a company called Clear Labs has made a disturbing finding in its analysis of the contents of hot dogs.

Clear Labs analyzed hundreds of hot dogs to determine what is really in them. The results — 14.4 percent of which the company describes as “problematic in some way” — included examples of human DNA in the meat itself.

The findings recently were published in Clear Labs’ first “Clear Food” report.

The Hot Dog Report is the first report released as part of the Clear Food initiative. The company analyzed 345 individual hot dogs and sausages from 75 different brands sold at 10 food retailers.

The problematic results fall into two main categories:

Hygienic issues: Clear Labs found human DNA in 2 percent of the samples.

Substitution issues: Clear Labs found evidence of:

• Meats not found on labels, including pork substitution in 3 percent of the samples.
• An absence of ingredients advertised on labels.
• Meat in 10 percent of vegetarian products, including chicken in a vegetarian breakfast sausage and pork in a vegetarian hot dog.

If you’re grossed out, check out the report’s rankings of the best major brands, best specialty and regional brands, best individual products and best retailers:

Despite the problems we found, what was most promising in our tests was the fact that there are a number of hot dog manufacturers, large and small, that are producing high-quality hot dogs with integrity. These producers were not limited to organic producers or high-end specialty brands — products across a variety of price points scored well.

The three best-ranked major brands are:

• Butterball
• McCormick
• Eckrich

The best-ranked retailers are:

• Target
• Walmart
• Safeway

For complete results, including all best brands and products, check out the report at the link above.

What’s your reaction to this news? Are your surprised that human DNA was found in hot dogs? Share your thoughts below or on our Facebook page.