The most unappetizing results of a recent test of 258 burgers at their molecular level found three instances in which the meat contained rat DNA and one in which human DNA was found.
Bay Area-based startup Clear Labs, which conducted the analysis, notes that while unpleasant, human and rat DNA are not likely to be harmful to human health. The company’s tests cannot determine precise sources of the offending DNA, but Clear Labs thinks the most likely causes were feces in the case of the rat and hair in the case of the human genetic material that were accidentally mixed in during the manufacturing process. (Some amount of rat and human DNA may fall within an acceptable regulatory range, the company notes.)
Clear Labs selected the burgers from retailers and fast food chains in northern California in order to provide a representative sampling of the burger market, including vegetarian and other non-beef varieties. The burgers covered 79 brands from 22 retailers and included ground meat and frozen patties. The company says it does not call out any of the specific brands or retailers because it’s not a consumer watchdog organization and has developed its technology alongside the food industry.
The presence of rat and human DNA may have been the most unpleasant finding of the report, but it was far from the only issue. Nearly 14% of the samples proved problematic in some way. Clear Labs found many cases of adulteration, such as the presence of cheaper meat like chicken and turkey. For example, pork DNA was found in a beef burger and beef DNA was found in ground lamb--particularly troubling for people who avoid certain meats for religious purposes.
