Nice! But it gets better. If you love canned corn, you might not anymore. Did you know that canned corn can contain insect larvae, cast skins, larval or cast skin fragments of corn ear worms?
And let’s not forget about noodles. Noodles can contain no more than an average of 225 insect fragments or more per 225 grams in six or more subsamples. Rodent filth is included, too. That’s because noodles can contain no more than an average of 4.5 rodent hairs or more per 225 grams in six or more subsamples.
Infestation is defined as “the presence of any live or dead life cycle stages of insects in a host product, (e.g., weevils in pecans, fly eggs and maggots in tomato products); or evidence of their presence (i.e., excreta, cast skins, chewed product residues, urine, etc.); or the establishment of an active breeding population, (e.g., rodents in a grain silo).”
Yummy! All kidding aside, the FDA says that the defect levels are not representative of the defects that occur in all products -- the averages are actually much lower. In other words, they’re just trying to keep it real. After all, it’s pretty hard to control nature. And there is another way to look at this reality. While rodents are just plain disgusting, maybe bugs aren’t so bad.
There are many cultures throughout history who have dined on bugs -- even as a delicacy. In fact, The Wall Street Journal says that bugs may be a thing of the future. Restaurants in London and New York even offer tasty options with bugs as the staple.
“Insects are high in protein, B vitamins and minerals like iron and zinc, and they're low in fat. Insects are easier to raise than livestock, and they produce less waste," according to The Wall Street Journal.