Bugs, rodent hair and poop: How much is legally allowed in the food you eat every day?

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN

Updated 1058 GMT (1858 HKT) October 4, 2019

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Did you know there can be 450 insect parts and nine rodent hairs in every 16 oz. box of spaghetti?<br />There's no way to get rid of all the creatures that might hitch a ride along the food processing chain, but the US Food and Drug Administration has set some <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredients-additives-gras-packaging-guidance-documents-regulatory-information/food-defect-levels-handbook#using" target="_blank">food defects standards</a> to keep them to a minimum.
Photos: Shocking 'filth' legally allowed in your food
Shocking "filth" legally allowed in your food – Did you know there can be 450 insect parts and nine rodent hairs in every 16 oz. box of spaghetti?
There's no way to get rid of all the creatures that might hitch a ride along the food processing chain, but the US Food and Drug Administration has set some food defects standards to keep them to a minimum.
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Sorry, but it's true. Chocolate can contain insect fragments and rodent hairs (or worse). If you're eating a regular-size chocolate bar (43 grams), it might legally contain 30 or more insect parts and some rodent hair.
Photos: Shocking 'filth' legally allowed in your food
Sorry, but it's true. Chocolate can contain insect fragments and rodent hairs (or worse). If you're eating a regular-size chocolate bar (43 grams), it might legally contain 30 or more insect parts and some rodent hair.
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The tomato juice in that 14 oz. Bloody Mary could legally contain up to four maggots and 20 or more fruit fly eggs. Canned tomatoes, tomato paste and sauces such as pizza sauce are a bit less contaminated, with the FDA allowing nearly two maggots in a 16 oz. can.
Photos: Shocking 'filth' legally allowed in your food
The tomato juice in that 14 oz. Bloody Mary could legally contain up to four maggots and 20 or more fruit fly eggs. Canned tomatoes, tomato paste and sauces such as pizza sauce are a bit less contaminated, with the FDA allowing nearly two maggots in a 16 oz. can.
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Asparagus can contain 40 or more scary-looking but teensy thrips for every ¼ pound. If those aren't around, FDA inspectors look for beetle eggs, entire insects or heads and body parts.
Photos: Shocking 'filth' legally allowed in your food
Asparagus can contain 40 or more scary-looking but teensy thrips for every ¼ pound. If those aren't around, FDA inspectors look for beetle eggs, entire insects or heads and body parts.
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